Demolition of Oyo Baptist School and Conversion to Crusade Ground an Act of Religious Bias – MUSCOS
Strong reactions have continued to trail the demolition of Baptist Primary School 1, Idikan, in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The Muslim Community of Oyo State (MUSCOS) described the action as an injustice, an act of religious bias and a blow to public education.
Mallam Ibrahim Agunbiade, an Executive Member of MUSCOS, condemned the demolition in a strongly worded statement issued on Tuesday, saying the action went beyond the destruction of a physical structure and amounted to a deliberate disruption of the future of innocent schoolchildren.
“The demolition of Baptist Primary School 1, Idikan, reportedly carried out under the authority of the Baptist Church, is an outrageous assault on education, justice, and communal coexistence,” Agunbiade said. “This act represents not merely the destruction of a building, but the deliberate disruption of the lives and future of innocent children.”
He noted that the affected school is a historic public primary institution that has served the Idikan community for decades, stressing that the majority of its pupils are Muslim children from a predominantly Muslim host community. According to him, the demolition has raised serious concerns about marginalisation and systemic bias.
“The demolition strikes at the heart of a vulnerable population and raises legitimate fears of systemic bias and marginalisation,” he stated.
Agunbiade further expressed outrage over the reported conversion of the demolished school site into a religious crusade ground, describing the development as indefensible and morally troubling.
“A public school was torn down, yet the same space is now deemed appropriate for religious crusades,” he said. “What could not be allowed to stand as a centre of learning has conveniently found new life as a platform for religious propaganda. This is not governance; it is displacement masked as administration.”
He argued that if the demolition was based on legal, planning, or ownership concerns, authorities ought to have pursued dialogue and due process rather than forceful destruction, warning that the development sends a dangerous signal about the protection of public education.
“The conversion of a demolished public school into a crusade ground sends a dangerous signal: that education serving a particular community can be sacrificed to advance sectarian interests,” Agunbiade added.
The MUSCOS executive warned that the action could undermine trust, threaten peaceful coexistence, and deepen religious fault lines in a state known for tolerance and pluralism, insisting that no faith institution should advance its mission at the expense of children’s educational rights.
In response, MUSCOS demanded an immediate and transparent explanation from the Oyo State Government on how and why the demolition was approved, as well as full accountability for all individuals and institutions involved.
The group also called for the urgent provision of alternative learning facilities for the displaced pupils before January 5, 2025, reconstruction of classrooms on the demolished land, and firm assurances that public schools would be protected from arbitrary destruction or religious repurposing.
“The destruction of a school is the destruction of opportunity,” Agunbiade said. “It is an act that impoverishes society and endangers the future. The people of Idikan deserve answers, redress, and guarantees that such an abuse will never be repeated.”
He concluded by reaffirming his commitment to peaceful advocacy and the defence of the educational rights of every Nigerian child, “irrespective of faith or background.”
