Sequel to the raiding of mosques in Aba, Abia state, the chief Imam of Aba Central Mosque, Alhaji Bashir Idris as well as two teachers of the New Horizon Academy, a school attached to the Aba Central Mosque are now battling to explain to soldiers what do they with a suspected chemical allegedly found at the school.
The two teachers being detained by the soldiers are the School director/Chemistry teacher, Abdulraham Sani and Principal/English teacher Abdulmajid Abubakar.
Sources at the Ama Hausa area at Mosque Street, Aba told 247ureports.com that 13 out 15 persons, including the Chief Imam arrested during a military raid on various mosques on the early hours of Monday in the city have been released. 13 out of the 15 suspects were said to have been released same day after several hours of interrogation at the 144 Battalion, Asa in Ukwa West council area of the state.
In a chat with newsmen in Aba, Bashir said the soldiers told them they were on the raid over suspected bombs and weapons allegedly being stored at various Mosques in the city.
“The soldiers took us to the Army base at Ngwa Road, Aba before moving us to 144 Battalion at Asa where they interrogated us. They said that they were looking for bombs and some weapons which they said we are sharing.
“We should be given the chance to live. We don’t keep or manufacture bombs and do not support or encourage any person to make or keep bombs. Mosque is a holy place where we all gather to pray. We have been living peacefully with Aba residents and will not be part of any plan to cause insecurity in Aba where we all do our lawful businesses.”
The Chief Imam called on the soldiers to release Sani and Abubakar whom who said are in charge of the school as they are innocent.
247ureports.com gathered that the Chief Imam has been re-invited by the soldiers. An Islamic cleric who spoke on the condition of anonymity said soldiers in two hilux vehicles stormed the area and invited the Chief Imam to the Army Unit. At press time, the Chief Imam was said to have honoured the invitation before embarking on a journey to a yet to be disclosed state in the North.
Reacting on the re- invitation of the Chief Imam, former Amirul Hajj of Abia State, Alhaji Musa Iheakaram confirmed that soldiers visited the Aba Central Mosque on Wednesday where they took some photographs and later invited the chief Imam to their base.
“Out of the 15 people they arrested, they are still holding the two principal officers of the school. It is true that the school is under the Muslim Community, but the school itself does not belong to the Imams. It is duly registered with the Abia State government and also run according to the academic curriculum and education system of the state being used to teach in other schools in the state.
“If the soldiers want to get any information about the school, they should ask the school director and the principal who are already with them and are better placed to provide them with the needed information about the school, not inviting the Chief Imam who is not in charge of the school.
“Let them check other Chemistry and Physics laboratories in other secondary schools in the state and see if the chemicals they use for practical are different from the one found at the school, then they can go ahead and do what they like, but if they are the same, they should allow the teachers to go hence they did not find anything incriminating on them.
“Our Muslim brothers have started leaving the state in droves because of the way they now being treated in the last two weeks and this calls for concern,” Iheakaram added.
