From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
The Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) has taken steps to avert religious war between a Muslim community in Osogbo, Osun State, and one Pastor Bukola Solomon, over a piece of land. A Muslim group, Osun Coalition of Muslims for Justice, had accused officials of NRC of planning to cause a religious crisis by ceding a piece of land already allocated to the Muslims for Eid prayer to Solomon.
Lawyer for the group, Qoseem Odedeji, had called on the stakeholders to quickly wade in and caution the new leadership of NRC against causing religious war in the state.
He stated that the piece of land had been allocated to the Muslim community in 2015 with a condition that no permanent structure is built on it.
“Since then, the Muslim community has continued the use of the land for the purpose for which it was granted and abiding with the condition attached,” he said.
However, the Area Manager of Railway Property Management, Innocent Agbaji, told our correspondent that the national headquarters of NRC has intervened and taken over the matter for amicable settlement.
He explained that what happened between the two occupants of the railway land is a measurement issue that several efforts have been made to settle.