<strong><em>Sheikh AbdulGaniu Afolayan</em></strong>
One of the popular Islamic clerics in Lagos, Sheikh AbdulGaniu Afolayan, who is the Imam of Oluwalogbon Mosque, in the Somolu area of the state, has cleared the air on his alleged involvement in anti-Islamic activity in the viral video, which resulted in being suspended from all Islamic-related activities by the Somolu Muslim Community that will last for some months.
The Islamic scholar, who found himself in muddy water a few days ago, narrated how he was spiritually attacked by an unknown member of the mosque in 2018 to the Disciplinary Committee set up by the Somolu Community, which he claimed resulted in selling his landed property, house, and car running to millions of Naira all in a bid to offset the hospital and other bills, which in the end yielded no positive result.
He continued, “There was no test I did do to ascertain the cause of my illness but all to no avail. I was in so much pain and there was no one among the members of the Oluwalogbon Muslim community that was not aware of my predicament and no one came forward to offer any assistance to alleviate the suffering to the extent that I had to call my wife one day to give her my last dying wish to take care of my daughter should anything happen to me”.
“There was virtually no one to turn to having explored every possible avenue both physical and spiritual survival in the Muslim space and even herbalist homes where sacrifices were offered. Until I found myself in one church on the outskirt of Lagos, where I was eventually healed and got back on my feet after several months of excruciating pains that affected one of my legs which almost took my life”.
“Although, I didn’t attend the church service but only attended the healing and prayer session, which is only on Wednesday of every week until I regained my health status. The scene where I knelt down was during one of the healing and prayer sessions as against the claim that I was there to worship with them every Sunday” he narrated.
The Sheikh, however, claimed that it was only his wife that visited the church shortly after he regained freedom from the shackles of devious spiritual attack to offer his appreciation on his behalf and has not visited the church since then neither does it affect his faith in any way.
The incident has caused heated arguments and untold disaffection among the Muslim faithful in the Somolu community and beyond where some were calling for his sack while others said he should be pardoned because it wasn’t his fault which was obviously due to his inability to get the needed assistant where and when he should.
Meanwhile, the Somolu Muslim Community has ordered the popular Islamic cleric to step aside temporarily from conducting compulsory daily congregational prayers as Imam, Mudrassa; where teaches Quranic verses to the young Muslim ummah and his usual Sunday Prayer Group session (AOFAT Perfection Int’l), where he is the Chief Missioner pending the time the suspension will be lifted.
Other submissions of the Disciplinary Committee included observing a compulsory bath to reclaim his purity as a genuine Muslim and an open declaration of allegiance during Jumat service, which he obliged to and has since observed and declaration of allegiance made.