President Muhammad Buhari has directed that the control of the Obalende Eid prayer ground be returned to the Jama’atul Muslimeen Council of the Lagos Central Mosque.

Mr Buhari’s media aide Garba Shehu confirmed this in a statement on Sunday.

Mr Shehu stated that the president’s approval was in line with the outcome of the report of a special committee he set up to investigate and report to him the issues in the conflict between the Lagos Muslim community on the one hand and federal government agencies.

The affected federal agencies are those stationed at the Dodan Barracks concerning the management and control of the land.

Mr Buhari directed the agencies to “recognise and respect the fact that the Obalende Eid prayer ground legally belongs to the Jama’atul Muslimeen Council of the Lagos Central Mosque.”

The president directed that the “desecration of the Obalende Eid prayer ground by its profane use as a dumpsite should stop with immediate effect, and to this effect, the Dodan Barracks authorities should remove all containers and debris from the prayer ground.”

He also directed that the Dodan Barracks authorities “ensure that the Muslim communities and their agents have unrestricted access to the Obalende Eid prayer ground at all times.”

Mr Buhari also advised the Lagos government “if deemed fit, (to) grant the Jama’atal Muslimeen Council a certificate of occupancy over the area identified in the survey plan.”

Ibrahim Gambari, the chief of staff to Mr Buhari, headed the committee that carried out the assignment.

(NAN)