The government of Lagos on Monday called on religious organisations to desist from causing obstruction in public places or blocking roads during worship.
Commissioner for Home Affairs Dr Abdulhakeem Abdullateef said this at the 2018 Ministerial Press Briefing of the Ministry.
The briefing is being held to mark the three years in office of Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode.
The commissioner said the practice could endanger lives of worshipers.
“Let us face the fact; you know I am a chief Imam. There are places where your prayers will not be accepted by God, and this is serious,” he said.
“If you block the road while praying, that prayer is not acceptable to God. Worshiping in the middle of the road and denying other road users is unacceptable and should stop.
“It has happened before, where people claimed that they were having their prayer and an ambulance was taking a woman to hospital.
“We fought to disperse all of them, one of them even accused me that I am not a believer, I told him, yes I’m not a believer in obstruction.”
Abdullateef called on residents to report Churches or Mosques who constitute nuisance or cause noise pollution during their religious activities.
“We will continue to engage religious leaders in the state because this issue is not about sentiment but the law,” he added.
“The Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), Lagos chapter, is doing a good job in resolving issues like this at the local level to promote peaceful co-existence among religious bodies.”
