Residents of Idikan in Ona Ara local government area of Oyo State have raised concerns about the demolition of Baptist Primary School 1, Idikan, describing the action as an act of injustice, religious bias, and educational vandalism.
Mallam Ibrahim Agunbiade, who is an executive member of the Muslim Community of Oyo State, while reacting to the school demolition in a statement, noted that it was allegedly carried out under the authority of the Baptist Church.
According to him, it is an outrageous assault on education, justice, and communal coexistence.
“This act represents not merely the destruction of a building, but the deliberate disruption of the lives and future of innocent children.
“Baptist Primary School 1, Idikan, is a historic public primary school that has served the Idikan community for decades. The overwhelming majority of its pupils are Muslim children from the host community, a community that is itself predominantly Muslim.
“The demolition, therefore, strikes at the heart of a vulnerable population and raises legitimate fears of systemic bias and marginalisation. The situation becomes even more disturbing when one considers what followed.
“The demolished school site has now been converted into a crusade ground. This development is indefensible and morally bankrupt. A public school was torn down, yet the same space is now deemed appropriate for religious crusades.
“This contradiction exposes the hollowness of any justification offered for the demolition. 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.
“If the demolition were genuinely rooted in legal, planning, or ownership concerns, the responsible path would have been dialogue, due process, and lawful resolution, not forceful destruction followed by religious appropriation.
“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.
“This action undermines trust, threatens peaceful coexistence, and deepens religious fault lines in a state that prides itself on tolerance and pluralism. No faith institution should advance its mission by trampling on the educational rights of children or inflaming communal tensions”, said.
