June 28, (THEWILL) – The Osun Police Command on Monday confirmed the death of one person during a clash between masquerades and Muslim worshippers in Osogbo on Sunday.
A statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, Osun Command, Yemisi Opalola, said some persons have been arrested in connection to the incident and that investigation was also ongoing on the development.
Opalola, who said the state Commissioner of Police, Olawale Olokode, has invited the two groups for dialogue, added that the actual cause of the fight could not be ascertained yet.
However, addressing journalists at NUJ, Correspondents’ Chapel, Fagbewese, Osogbo on Monday, Chief Imam of Kamorudeen Central Mosque, Qosim Yusuf, recounted how the incident happened.
He said: “Three hours into the prayer there was a commotion around the mosque. It is unfortunate that while we are praying for peace, we became casualties of attack by the masquerade worshippers.
“The attack was led by one Chief Kayode Esuleke as he stormed the mosque and unleashed mayhem on the Islamic faithful leaving one person dead and 14 injured with various degrees of gunshot wounds. Our mosque, vehicles and other properties were vandalised.
“The remains of the deceased, Alhaji Moshood Salawudeen, is already deposited at the morgue of UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital and other people that are injured namely: Abdul Jeleel, 12, Adebayo Awolesin, 15, Taofeek Fatai, 17, Malik Abdulkabir, 17, Quazeek Al-Ameen, 12, Quazeem Aseyori, 47, Ayuba Abdulhakeem, 60, Abdulsalam AbdRauf, 39, Ajagbe Ishaq, 37, Owolabi Maruf, 45, Risiqat Zakariyahu, 45, Isiaq Ibraheem, Yahaya and Oladosu Halimat, 47 are presently receiving treatment.
“We give government 72-hour ultimatum to ensure Immediate arrest and prosecution of Chief Kayode Esuleke and others that participated in the gruesome murder of Alhaji Moshood Salawudeen, the government should take over the bills of all our members in hospital and all the properties vandalised must be taken care of.”
However, custodian of the masquerades, Fashola Esuleke, denied the allegation in a chat with newsmen.
He said: “We started the masquerade festival on Friday. On Sunday we are walking through Olu-Ode Aranyin and we were walking around the area when the Muslim faithful attacked us and tried to unclad the Masquerade.
“We escaped the scene and the Muslims wanted to kill the masquerade. The police and Agbekoya rescued the masquerade from the scene. We don’t know anything about the killing. Our men are even injured when they attacked us.”
