Resident Muslims at 9th Mile Corner in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State have appealed to the Nigerian Muslim community to assist with funds for the purchase of new land for the burial of departed faithful.
Speaking with newsmen in Enugu Sunday, the spokesperson of Muslims in the area, Yarima Garba Salisu Muhammad, said the appeal became necessary after their host community evicted them from the old cemetery.
Mr Muhammad said, “The cemetery was allocated to Muslims in 1935, and ever since, it had been the final resting place for our departed loved ones. Our grandparents, parents, siblings, and even Muslims who died on their journey were buried there,” he said.
“9th Mile Corner is a central route used by Muslims traveling to different parts of the South East and South South. So, it is a place with considerable Muslim population, a place in which Muslims cannot exist without a cemetery of their own.
“But sadly, the descendants of those who generously gave us the cemetery land have just taken it from us, asking us to look elsewhere for land to bury our people. We’ve been shown places but what we have is far below the price the neighbouring communities have fixed for the cemetery.”
He called on well-meaning Muslims across the country to support their ongoing drive to raise funds for new cemetery land.
Lending credence to the development, the community’s Imam Malam Dahiru Muhammad also appealed to Muslims to kindly make donations to the cemetery project, as the situation was an unpredictable one that required urgent attention.
“Allah helps any of His servants who helps others,” he urged, citing Book 27, Hadith 36.
Summing up, Yarima said a 9-man committee had been set up to raise about N50 million to enable the community buy an expanse of land for a new Muslim cemetery.
