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Foundation to establish 20 world-class standard cemeteries in Southwest

By Shakirah Adunola
27 May 2022   |   4:07 am
Al-Ummah Cemetery and Islamic Inheritance Affairs Foundation, has drawn the attention of individuals, religious bodies, government institutions and security operatives to the alarming growth in the demand for human parts in the country.

• Decries increase exhumation of corpse from Muslim cemeteries
Al-Ummah Cemetery and Islamic Inheritance Affairs Foundation, has drawn the attention of individuals, religious bodies, government institutions and security operatives to the alarming growth in the demand for human parts in the country.

The foundation noted that the menace is not limited to the fresh parts of the bodies of the people kidnapped for ritual purpose but also the corpses of the deceased Muslims buried in the Muslim cemeteries.

To proffer solutions to the danger confronting Muslim cemeteries in Southwest, the foundation said it would commence the establishment of 20 world-class Muslim cemeteries in the country.

The allocation of the first 20 proposed cemeteries would be according to the estimated Muslim population in each state. The cemeteries will be built in each state as follows: “ Six for Lagos and Ogun, Four for Oyo State, three for Osun State, three for Kwara State, two for Ekiti State and two for Ondo State,” the foundation said.

The coordinator, Al-Ummah Cemetery, Muyideen Akande, urged Muslims to contribute generously to this cause.

“In Islam, the remains of a deceased Muslim must be treated with an appreciable level of sacredness as human dignity of the deceased must not be violated.

“It is forbidden to remove any part of the deceased’s body and must not be cremated or be left to rotten. It must be buried following all the guidelines and protocols laid down by the Holy Prophet (pbuh). It was reported in a tradition narrated by Muslim that breaking the bone of the deceased is like breaking the bone of the living human being. Almighty Allah the Lord of honour rhetorically says: “would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it.” (Qur’an 49 : 12)”

He added that on no account must the corpse of a deceased Muslim be tampered with and anybody who does so is a sinner. According to him, “ arrested criminals who severed different parts of the bodies of some corpses in a cemetery pleaded that the parts cut were meant for rituals to revitalise a living soul that was on the verge of dying.”

Akande noted that the reason for exhuming corpse from Muslim cemeteries can be classified into two categories, external and internal, saying that the high rate of peoples’ quest for divine interventions make them seek assistance from idols that will eventually demand human bodies like heads, female breasts, men or women’s private parts and others.

“The key important arms of government that determine the level of criminal activities of a country are the judiciary and the police sector. These two arms seem to be supportive of criminality in this country rather than fighting it. There are lawyer, whose job is to defend criminals in courts, facilitate bails for them, and tactically prolong court hearings for many years so that the complainants will lose interest in the case, and will have the case struck out by the presiding judge on the presumption of innocence.

Even if the defendant is proved to be guilty there are no stiffer penalties that will make him repentant. The contribution of the police sector to the high rate of criminality in Nigeria is not strange to everybody. There are enough cases of top-ranking police officers who are accomplices to various crimes in the country.”

He said that the possible solution to the menace is the standardisation of the Muslim cemetery system, legal actions against apprehended criminals and continuous campaign against the satanic act.

“The internal security mechanism of the existing Muslim cemeteries in Yoruba land should be fortified with modern-day security outfits like closed circuit television (CCTV), security lights, proper fencing, security personnel and other workers should be paid very well as this will go a long way to prevent them from being bribed to allow criminals to burgle the cemetery and putting a stop to the establishment of sub standard Muslim cemeteries in Yoruba land.”

Akande urged every Muslim to contribute to the laudable project financially and in kind.

“Provide a befitting home for yourself by contributing to the establishment of no less than 20 world-class standard cemeteries for the Muslim in Southwest,” the foundation president said.

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