The popular impression among many indigenes of Ebonyi State, even those residing outside the state, is that it has been invaded by Muslims and that the growing rate of crisis in the state was the handiwork of the “strangers.”
But the question to ask is, are all the Muslims in Ebonyi State strangers? Ebonyi is one of the states in the South-East, which though are predominantly Christians, inhabit sizeable population of Muslims, some of whom were born by Igbo parents of Islamic religion.
A woman who gave her name simply as Rhoda told BusinessDay that “What we are seeing in the state nowadays is beyond narration. In fact, my town, Afikpo, is where they have their academy. They have taken over everywhere and little wonder we have frequent crises in communities in the state,” she said. Rhoda lives in Abakaliki, capital of the state.
Another indigene, who resides in Lagos, spoke to BusinessDay on condition of anonymity. She said: “They have turned my state into an Islamic state and that is why there are killings in that state on a regular basis. In fact, mosques are all over the place as if you were in the North.”
But there is one man, a leader of the Muslim community in the state who was born as an Igbo man but into a Muslim family. His name is Haroun Ogbonnia Ajah. He introduced himself as Sheikh (an honorific title in the Arabic Language, literally meaning “elder”).
Sheikh Ajah spoke with the BusinessDay team in Abakaliki on the evening of Sunday, May 11, 2025, saying that those who claim that Muslims have taken over the state were out to cause mischief.
From the conversation with the Chief, it could be deduced that there are certain truth, half-truth and fallacies about the state of affairs in relation to religion in Ebonyi, a state that was created on October 1, 1996. It was carved out of parts of Enugu State and Abia State by the Military regime of Sani Abacha.
The truth
The truth about the state of religion in the state is that Christianity remains dominant with greater population than any other religion in the state. One cardinal truth is that there are indigenous Igbo-Muslims in the state, who were born by Igbo parents.
“They want to create an impression that there are no Muslims that are of indigenous origin of this state. They continue to sing about the Hausas, the Fulanis, Yoruba Muslims in Ebonyi, but it is a propaganda to create impression that no Ebonyi indigene is a Muslim,” Ajah said.
It was also gathered that out of the population of 3.242 million according to the last update in 2022, Muslims are about 20 percent, which is around 624. That number appears to be the highest in any single state in Igboland. This is followed by Nsukka in Enugu State.
BusinessDay was also told that a good number of Muslims that visit Ebonyi, usually come to do business and almost leave immediately.
It was also gathered that there are about 35 mosques in the state, with the leading one being the Central Mosque Abakaliki (Hausa Quarters). There is also a sprawling facility in Afikpo that houses the group’s Academy. It is the presence of this academy that gives non-Muslims in the state goose pimples. It is said to be the largest Islamic School in the country. It was founded by Sheikh Ibrahim Okpani Nwagui. Many generations after him have continued to uphold the religion.
Mentioning the Mosques in the state, Sheikh Ajah said: “There are about seven of them in Abakiliki, the state capital. Last October, I undertook a field tour, sponsored by Saudi Arabia to identify where the Muslims are in the whole South East. I went from Enugu, to Abia, from Okigwe to Owerri, Obowo, Aba, Umuahia, Abiriba, Igbere to Anambra and some other places. If I want to give the statistics, I can say that in the whole of South East we have over one hundred (100) mosques.”
The truth also is that while many indigenes at home and outside the state are apprehensive over the burgeoning population of Muslims, the state government creating a more robust and conducive environment for their expansion. In February this year, the media was awash with the report that the State Government approved over ₦500 million for the sponsorship of Muslim pilgrims to this year’s Hajj in Mecca. This decision sparked controversy, forcing the Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru administration to scale down the amount to a figure slightly below N300million.
There is also the truth that the Muslim Hausa and Yorubas in Ebonyi are going into marriage relationship with the ladies in the state.
Half-truth
Contrary to the allegation that the marriage relationships were aimed at swelling the Islamic religion, Sheikh Ajah reliably informed BusinessDay that most of such marriages were not real but ad-hoc. He also said that the Muslim businessmen that come to the state from the North, South West or even from Niger and other neighbouring countries just seek out ladies to befriend and that in the course of that friendship, they will begin to born children, but not properly married.
“I don’t know how many Hausa men that are marrying Igbo women (in the real sense of the word) here. Some of the Igbo women married to the Hausas or Yoruba Muslims are already abandoned by those men. From what I know, those of them who came here and get married are by accident. I have families that are abandoned by people they said married them. Most of them we are now taking care of through our own empowerment and social investment programmes. One of the ladies they said her husband is from Niger. He is on the run and abandoned her and the children. One came back to pick up the children; they stopped him and he is on the run. There are no too many of such successful marriages that is solid going on here. They are very few.
“The predicament we have is that most times when they get into such union, before you know it, they relocate and leave the women stranded; these women will now fall back on us. They are part of my strategic focus now when it comes to empowerment. These men come here to trade. When they come, they just find a woman to stay with, born and procreate. In fact, it is a common practice of those that come to Ebonyi- both Northern Muslims and those from the South West. When it is time for them to go, most times, they abandon those ladies with their children. Some of them have wives in their places and wouldn’t want to go back with another woman and children. Many ladies are falling victim.”
Fallacies
One of the trending allegations is that the Fulanis and Muslims are luring Ebonyi ladies into Islam with the money they bring into the state.
Debunking such an insinuation, Sheikh Ajah said, “No Hausa person brings money here for anybody for anything. Most of them here are here for their own business. It is part of our cry that we are not seeing the assistance. The Hausas who are here are also suffering as Muslims because the treatment being given to Muslims in the state is the same, even to gain admission is very difficult; they go to their states. If you finish, even to get job is not easy here. So, who is the Hausa man bringing money when the Hausa people who are here are also complaining and suffering?
“But to say that Hausas/Fulanis are bringing money to convert people, that is not true. Two prominent Muslim businessmen have helped the Muslim community in Ebonyi State through the supply of rice, spaghetti, sugar and some other food items. But for some time now, such supplies no longer come. Another helped us to renovate our Mosque in the Hausa quarters in Abakaliki. We reached out to him and the intervention came. These are the only wealthy Muslims that have helped the Muslim community in Ebonyi in the past. In fact, last month, the South East Hausa Muslim community sent a delegation to Asari Dokubo because he is one of the fortunate Muslims who have been made. We asked him to help us. So, I want to say clearly that there is no truth in such a statement. It is only the Saudi Arabia people that we can be proud of that our training and sustenance have been coming from.”
Ajah also refuted and branded as fallacy allegations that the mosques in Ebonyi were being used to stockpile arms and ammunition with which they unleash mayhem on the state.
He said that it would be impossible for him to collaborate with anybody to destroy his people, saying that he was first an Igbo man before becoming a Muslim. He pooh-poohed the allegation and said it was mere propaganda.
“Your correspondent has been here, has she seen any Muslim attacking anybody? No where in Ebonyi would you hear that a Muslim has attacked anybody. It is the Muslims that were attacked at the Islamic Centre some time ago, because of this same allegation you mentioned now that they were stock-piling arms. But the authorities went there and checked and there was nothing found at all. So, it doesn’t happen. We are all peaceful here. We are not violent people,” he said.
