Lawyers across various strata have weighed in on the visit of some Islamic clerics to the residence of an Osun traditional priestess, Yeye Ajesikemi Olokun, for wanting to hold an Egbe festival in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.
The PUNCH had earlier reported that the entourage were members of a Muslim group known as Majlisu Shabab-l-Ulamah Society. The group noted that the Emir of Ilorin, Dr Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, had sent them to convey a warning to the priestess to desist from holding the festival scheduled from July 22 to July 24, 2023, on Secondary School Road, Oke Andi in Ilorin.
Speaking with Punch in a telephone interview, a UK-based Rights lawyer, Morakinyo Olasupo, said the clerics had trampled upon the freedom of thought, conscience and religion of the traditional worshipper as entrenched in Chapter 4, Section 38 of the 1999 Constitution with their threat. Unlike Olasupo, a senior lawyer who specialises in Human Rights and Public Interest, Inibehe Effiong, said no state or society can be attributed to a particular religion in Nigeria.
He stressed that whether the festival will affect other people’s peace should be a matter that the law enforcement agents should see to not the public judging that there may be.
Join our twitter community :
