Onikijipa Family Urges Stakeholders to Call Sheikh Habibullahi Al-Ilory to Order Over Attacks on Grand Mufty of Ilorin
Stakeholders in the Ilorin Emirate have been urged to intervene and call Sheikh Habibullahi Adam Al-Ilory to order. He is the Mudirul of Markaz Centre for Arabic and Islamic Studies, Agege, Lagos State. The call follows his repeated verbal attacks on the Grand Mufty of Ilorin, Sheikh Suleiman Faruq Onikijipa.
In a statement issued in Ilorin on Sunday, Alhaji Abdulrahman Suyuti Onikijipa, the Magaji of Onikijipa Compound, spoke on behalf of the family. He emphasized that all descendants of Onikijipa remain a united and indivisible entity.
The statement, titled “No Bastard Among the Onikijipa: A Rejoinder to Habibullah Adam Al-Ilory,” refuted Sheikh Habibullahi’s claim that Sheikh Suleiman Faruq Onikijipa’s father was not an original member of the Onikijipa family.
The family strongly condemned this claim. They described it as false and a deliberate attempt to cause division among them.
The statement explained that Sheikh Habibullahi’s unverified claims were acts of mischief. It accused him of attempting to distort the history of the Onikijipa family.
It recalled that this was not the first time Sheikh Habibullahi had tried to rewrite history. His statements even contradicted the historical accounts given by his own father, Sheikh Adam Abdullahi Al-Ilory.
Sheikh Habibullahi’s Public Attacks on Onikijipa Family
The statement revealed that Sheikh Habibullahi had openly declared his intention to attack the Onikijipa family during his daily tafsir on Friday, 21st of Ramadan.
“On Friday 21st of Ramadan, Habibullah Adam Al-Ilory informed his listeners that he wanted to attack the Onikijipa family. During his daily tafsir, he went astray to attack our family in his usual nonsensical manner, an attempt to create disunity among us. But for his information, we are one strong indivisible family.”
The family explained that they initially ignored his baseless claims. However, they felt the need to set the record straight to prevent future generations from being misled.
“This is not the first time this individual has tried to rewrite history even in explicit contradictions to his father’s narrations in his mere usual bid to claim the ‘all-knowing’. He is the only one who can help us to understand the reasons for doing that. As far as we are concerned, he is just being mischievous.”
Debunking False Claims Against the Grand Mufty
The statement addressed Sheikh Habibullahi’s claim that Sheikh Suleiman Faruq Onikijipa was angry with his father, Sheikh Adam Al-Ilory. He alleged that this was because Sheikh Adam did not mention Sheikh Suleiman’s father in his book.
The Onikijipa family dismissed this as a ridiculous and fabricated claim.
“There are some points that need to be addressed. Habibullah Adam Al-Ilory claimed that our illustrious son, Sheikh Suleiman Faruq Onikijipa, the grand Mufty of Ilorin, is angry with Sheikh Adam Al-Ilory, Habibullah’s father, because the sheikh did not mention Sheikh Suleiman Faruq’s father in his book. This is not only laughable but a lie from the pit of hell. Habibullah should inform us the point at which Sheikh Suleiman said this and in what context. We believe this is just another lie to discredit the Mufty’s good image. That is Habibullah Adam Al-Ilory’s trademark: he attacks everyone. He recently did the same to the people of Agbogunmati.”
Addressing Distorted History
The statement also condemned another misleading claim made by Sheikh Habibullahi. He alleged that Sheikh Suleiman’s father was not an original member of the Onikijipa family.
The family dismissed this as completely false and criticized his flawed logic regarding family lineage in Ilorin.
“As if that was not enough, Habibullah Adam Al-Ilory narrated that Sheikh Suleiman’s father is not a member of Onikijipa. This is another nonsense! His theory is that any house or household in Ilorin that is situated outside the main compound is not part of the family. Such a household, according to his theory, must have been given or gifted to the land. They are not originally part of the family. One begins to wonder if Habibullah Adam Al-Ilory remembers where his own family house is situated in Ilorin. It is there for everyone to see.”
Call for Intervention from Ilorin Stakeholders
The Onikijipa family also criticized Sheikh Habibullahi for claiming that only Alfa Alabi Onikijipa was the true Onikijipa.
“Habibullah Adam Al-Ilory, in his desire to create disunity among us, claimed that Alfa Alabi Onikijipa is the original Onikijipa. If we had not heard this ourselves, we would not have believed it is coming from a man, who is expected to know better. But it is not surprising; that is his way. He attacks without a reason. He comes up with all sorts of theories just to prove anything! There are instances out there. But this is our story, Alfa Alabi Onikijipa and Alfa Faruq Onikijipa are brothers and one family. There is no separation among us.”
The family expressed deep disappointment that Sheikh Habibullahi would use “show me your father’s grave” as a test of one’s family heritage.
“It is even more worrisome that such a respected scholar is using ‘show me your father’s grave’ theory as a proof of originality. Pathetic!”
They called on stakeholders in the Ilorin Emirate to take immediate action and call Sheikh Habibullahi to order.
“It is really appreciative if this man is called to order by stakeholders from Ilorin Emirate. Using his own words, he should not let people begin to ‘dig his own dead’. But we the Onikijipa are learned and respectful. We will not become pig.”
