A controversial banner bearing the inscription, “Jesus Christ is not God. He is a Prophet and Messenger of God!”, displayed at the gate of the Lekki Central Mosque in Lagos State, has been removed.
The removal was confirmed in a video shared on the social media platform X by a user identified as Adeleke Opeyemi. In the post, Opeyemi captioned the video: “The controversial banner has been removed from Lekki Central Mosque. Everyone can rest now… My opinion: No one can fight for God. Religion is a sensitive issue, and we should all take it easy sometimes.”
The video featured Tunde Alabi, who introduced himself as a member of the Lekki Muslim Community. Alabi stated that he personally verified the removal of the banner after notifying the mosque committee about the public outrage it had sparked.
In the video, Alabi said, “Good evening, everybody. My name is Tunde Alabi. I’m a member of the Lekki Muslim Community, and I noticed there was a banner posted in front of our mosque that was causing some kind of controversies. I sent a message to the mosque committee, and I was told that it had been removed. So I came here personally to check for myself.”
Pointing to the location where the banner was previously displayed, he confirmed, “It has actually been removed, as you can see. I am not speaking on behalf of the mosque, but I can confirm that it has been removed. Let me say I’m sorry for the inconvenience that must have caused. The banner has been removed. Thank you.”*
Alabi added, “Today’s date is the 18th of December 2024, and it’s about 6 p.m.”
LEADERSHIP reports that the controversial banner, which went viral on Wednesday, sparked widespread debate and divided public opinion. Some individuals criticised the message as blasphemous, while others argued that it reflected Islamic teachings and, in some cases, the beliefs of certain Christian denominations.
As of the time of filing this report, the Lekki Central Mosque was yet to release an official statement on the matter.