LAGOS – The insecurity in the country could snowball into anarchy, if President Muhammadu Buhari does not take immediate and drastic action to curb it.
These were the beliefs of Sheikh Saleh Sani Zaria, national spiritual leader and Secretary General of Rasulul A’azam Foundation (RAAF), a Shiitte leader, with national headquarters in Kano.
Saleh, in an exclusive interview with Crime Tracker during the week, was reacting to the proscription of Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) , a Shiitte group and the continued detention of El-Zakzakky, Shiitte leader of IMN.
The Nigerian Army last week in a press conference disclosed that El-Zakzakky is being kept in protective custody. But Sheikh Zaria noted that though, keeping him in protective custody “should not create tensions and confusions,” but disagreed that, “the fragile security of our country does not warrant that, as it has reached this level.” He therefore, called on “the authorities concerned to cultivate other ways of tackling the (insecurity) problem.”
He regretted that Federal government proscribed the group. His words: “It’s unfortunate that the matter was dragged to proscription. We had wished that the matter is solved through dialogue as proposed by Kaduna State Judicial Commission.”
Saleh disclosed that there are 10 different Shiiitte groups in Nigeria with over one million members.
On Tuesday, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Adamu during a press conference in Force Headquarters Abuja, re-echoed Federal government proscribing the IMN.
Adamu stressed that the activities of IMN “clearly and consistently negate Section 1(2)(A)&(B) of the Terrorism (Prevention) (Amendment) Act 2013 and Section 2(1)(A)(B)(C) of the Terrorism (Prevention) (Amendment) Act of 2013 and hence, justify their proscription in overriding national security interest.”
The IGP further noted that, “in view of their increasing engagement of terror tactics and other violent and subversive activities which contravene the Terrorism Prevention Act 2013, as amended, and vide the judicial pronouncement of the Federal High Court, Abuja on 26th July, 2019, the Federal Government has classified them as a terrorist group and has accordingly, proscribed the El-Zakzaky-led Islamic Movement in Nigeria.”
He therefore, warned that, “henceforth, any person engaged or associating, in any manner that could advance the activities of the proscribed Islamic Movement in Nigeria, shall be treated as a terrorist, enemy of the State, and a subversive element and shall be brought to justice within the context of the Terrorism Act. The import of this is that all forms of procession or protest by IMN is now illegal and thus banned.”
In view of the IGP’s statement, we asked Sheikh Saleh if his group would require permit from the police or other security agents, before embarking on any procession such as marriage ceremony. This is because some policemen who know them as Shiitte, may not know that only IMN is proscribed and its followers tagged terrorists by the IGP
His words: “we normally inform the police and at times the DSS about our religious gatherings and events. Although, gathering like marriages and naming ceremonies do not usually require notifications to security especially in the parts we live in Nigeria.”
He frowned at the IGP’s tagging of all members of IMN or anybody who associates with them as terrorists.
“Let them be categorised in accordance to their offences, so that those with lesser crimes can be accorded fair judgement,” he cautioned.
He disclosed that the ideologies of his Shiitte group is totally different from that of El-Zakzakky group. He said their group preaches peace and engages in peace dialogue.
“We are a registered organisation while they (IMN) are not. Hence we are law abiding citizens. Our Foundation is purely theological while IMN is mostly political with religious coloration.”
According to him, his group “build mosques for religious activities in order to avoid clashing with Sunnis in their mosques, unlike IMN that do not build mosques and sometimes there are clashes between them and the owners of some mosques. We respect the traditional institutions (Emirs), while IMN does not.
Our members join and work in with different constituted institutions of government like the army, police etc, while IMN frowns at such act. We cherish peaceful coexistence with neighbours.”
He, therefore, condemned violent invasion of the National Assembly by El-Zakzakky Shiitte group. Saleh said, he does not “support breaching the laws of our dear country, because that will lead to chaos and anarchy.” He described the violent invasion as “a wrong approach, but peaceful demonstrations as enshrined in our constitution.”
Also speaking on the resented activities of the Fulani Herdsmen and the imposition of the federal government RUGA issue, Sheikh Zaria suggested that in order for peace to prevail, “the government should involve the traditional institution in the matter, because it is an old problem in a new form. In the past our Emirs/ Cheifs/district heads had succeeded in reducing the tensions to the minimal levels.”
The post Nigerian Security Fragile, Shiitte Leader, Sheikh Saleh Warns appeared first on Independent Newspapers Nigeria.
Source: Independent
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