Ilorin Elite Group Brokers Peace Between Feuding Islamic Clerics Al-Ilory, Onikijipa

The Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU), on Tuesday, brokered peace between the two feuding Islamic scholars, Sheikh Habeebullah Adam Al-Ilory and Sheikh Sulaiman Faruq Onikijipa.

LEADERSHIP reports that Al-Ilory is the proprietor (Mudeerul) of Markaz School of Arabic and Islamic Studies, Agege, Lagos State, while Onikijipa is the Grand Mufti of Ilorin Emirate. Both scholars hail from Ilorin in Kwara State.

The cold war between the duo reached the climax on social media within the week when the Mudeerul Markaz (Al-Ilory), during his Ramadan Tafseer, accused Mufty of Ilorin (Onikijipa) of being behind his health challenges.

Onikijipa, also during one of his Tafseer sessions, immediately responded with a denial and openly swearing with the Holy Qur’an to prove his innocence.

However, our correspondent gathered that the leadership of IEDPU – the apex body of all socio-cultural associations in Ilorin Emirate – held separate meetings with Al-Ilory and Onikijipa in Lagos on Tuesday.

Sources told LEADERSHIP that the national president of IEDPU, Alh. AbdulMalik AbdulMumini, led the union’s delegation to Lagos to meet the two scholars who are prominent indigenes of Ilorin Emirate.

When contacted, the national publicity secretary of IEDPU, Alh. Nurudeen Ibrahim, confirmed that the elite group’s delegation met the two scholars separately on Tuesday as part of efforts to ensure amicable resolution of the issue between them.

He said Al-Ilory and Onikijipa promised to let peace reign following the IEDPU’s intervention.

“The body met with the two scholars separately, and they assured us of their commitment to peace,” Ibrahim said.

“The scholars also affirmed their respect for the Emir of Ilorin, Alh. Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, and pledged to uphold harmony within the community,” he added.