Date: 2020-06-05

The Council of Ulama in Ilorin, Kwara State, has rejected the conditions by the state government for the reopening of mosques in the state.

The council in a statement by its secretary, Justice Salihu Olohuntoyin Mohammed (rtd), said the conditions released by the government were very difficult to adhere to based on their peculiarities.

It said "Majority of stakeholders are about the age limit of 65 years listed for non-participation in prayers/Jumaat service.

"In Islamic parlance, Imams are the leaders of congregations and majority of them are within the age bracket of 65 and above.

"We also observed that each of the conditions listed by the government cannot be implemented due to the fact that they are very difficult to be enforced.

"We urge the government to allow Jumaat mosques to remain closed in the interim and ensure review of the guidelines".

It would be recalled that the Kwara State COVID-19 Technical Committee had on Wednesday rolled out some conditions to be adopted ahead of the Friday, June 5, 2020 worship centres re-opening.

The Ulama maintained that the actions taken were in line with the safety protocol of the federal government/Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), and Kwara State government.