A Christian cleric, Evangelist Abubakar Osaro Alihu, has said Nigerians must allow religious tolerance to thrive in order to avoid further loss of lives and properties.
Alihu, who hails from Agbede Etsako West in Edo State, grew up under the tutelage of his father, a traditional Islamic educator and Chief Imam of six clans in his Edo community but claimed coming under severe persecution after his conversion from Islam to Christianity.
Recounting his terrible experiences in the hands of his community, immediate family, close friends and even his biological father, Alihu said people should love one another irrespective of religious leanings.
The cleric further declared his hatred for religious superiority as promoted by some individuals in the society.
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“Ever since I got converted to Christianity, hell was let loose on me in my community, especially my immediate family and close friends. I detest the hatred and the belief that one religion is superior to others as shown by my family and friends,” Alihu said.
“Many have verbally abused me while some have cut off all dealings with me. They have even spoken to my hearing, wondering why the first son of an Islamic educator should dump Islam to an opposing religion while they expected me to take the mantle of leadership as the Chief Imam after my father. This infuriated my father, who threatened to disown me if I didn’t openly denounce Christianity.”
Alihu said his father’s threat so frightened him he had to relocate from his abode but was shocked when his father still traced him to his new residence on Ajenifuja Street off Governors Road, Ikotun, Lagos.
“It wasn’t long after I got to my new location that I heard from my wife that my father traced us to the new address with my brothers, and unfortunately, I was in Ghana for a course during the time.
“According to my wife, Indira, my father and my brothers harassed her and put an incision on my son, Raymond’s leg. I reported their action on Raymond at Ikotun Police Station but we were told that it was a family matter. For fear of further threat, we had to move again to another address at Feyistan Street, Egan, Igando also in Lagos State.
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“When I informed that my father had sold four plots of the land I inherited from him in our village as his first son, I had travelled home and confronted him. I was ready to take him up on this but his reply surprised and frightened me.
For the third time, Alihu and his family had to again quickly relocate to Ikorodu also in Lagos in a bid to save his life and that of his family members.
“Later on, I got information that my father has sold four plots land that belonged to me in the village, just to get at me. When I returned back to Lagos, I had a troubled dream that has some diabolic connotations to it; ‘seeing where someone tried to forcefully inject a substance in my mouth.
‘Thereafter, I prayed over it with my wife and also decided to call my father. His response was on the negative which frightened me to insinuate that he had wished me dead.
“Having relocated to another place in Ikorodu, Lagos, he also made. attempt to find me with more threats. exactly on the March 12, 2023, a colleague of mine who drove my car out to visit his friend narrowly escaped been shot by suspected hired assassins. He was accosted by the suspected killers who noticed I was not in the car but spared him and asked him to thank his God, that the person they are looking for is not in the car. My friend heard on them mentioned, “Osaro is not here, let’s go.
“Ever since then, I have lived in fear with my family. I sold the car to avoid being traced while my father’s threat comes like a flooding message, for me to quit my new faith and take over his Islamic position as Chief Imam in my town.
“We now live in fear as we can’t say what will happen next. This prompted me to relocate my family to where I think they may be safe while I manage to live in fear. People should be free to choose their faith. It is not good to force or fight someone to come and worship God.
“God is powerful enough to fight for Himself. There is no sense in ordinary human being to fight, maim and kill others for God’s sake? I don’t know for how long I will remain in hiding but I plead with all to be tolerant of one another,” Alihu added.
