Isiyaku Ahmed
An Islamic group under the aegis of Ashabul Kahfy Warrakeem Nigeria, students and followers of Sheikh Abduljabbar Nasiru Kabara has warned clerics to desist from smearing their leader and threatening authorities.
The group issued the warning on Sunday in a statement read at a press conference by its spokesperson, Engr. Ibrahim Abdullahi Warure at the Kano Council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists Secretariat in Kano.
The statement was signed by Engr. Ibrahim Abdullahi Warure, Musa Santuraki Pali, Barr. Hashim Hussaini Hasshim Fagge, Sheikh Lamin Salihu Jos, and Sheikh Yakubu Adamu Nguru (Sahibur Raddi).
According to the group, the press conference was in particular reacting to a recent radio comment by Prof. Saidu Dukawa advising the incoming administration and the court where the appeal is filed not to dare to release him for fear of an uprising.
Below is the complete text of the statement titled “Warning to Clerics smearing Sheikh Abduljabbar, Threatening the Authorities.”
Gentlemen of the Press,
- We are students and followers of Sheikh Abduljabbar Nasiru Kabara who is at present in detention over allegations of blasphemy labeled against him by the clerics who are known to be his hostiles for years. Recall that a shariah court has already passed judgment on him but we his followers have since filed an appeal before an upper court of justice because of our dissatisfaction with the previous judgment in line with the right of appeal enshrined in the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria.
- However, it has come to our notice that the same clerics who ganged up to make the first allegations that caused his arraignment in court are now issuing threats to the incoming government of Kano State and the court where the appeal is filed that they should not dare to release him. The question is, do those clerics fighting Sheikh Abduljabbar have the right to dictate to the court what to do or not to do in a case before it? Any informed person knows that no individual has the power to give command to the court and anyone who does so has contempt for the court.
- We have realized that the gang of antagonists of Sheikh Abduljabbar are not willing to allow justice to prevail in his case. They are hell-bent on persecuting him and denying him justice, fair judgment at all costs as a citizen of the nation by issuing threats to the court and government.
- These threats by these unscrupulous clerics were out of their fear that if the Sheikh they consider a rival regains his freedom through the court and continues with his normal religious activities, he is a threat to their acceptability, because he will be more popular than he was in view of the publicity and international attention he attracted.
- We condemn their endemic campaign of calumny against our revered Sheikh and their threats to the court which we consider a contempt of court and government. We also view it as a sinister plan to disrupt the peace of the state and country should Sheikh Abduljabbar eventually triumphs in the court.
- We call on the security agencies and relevant authorities to call these unscrupulous clerics to order by asking them to desist from these hate speeches against us and our religious leader for we are bonafide citizens of the country.
- We have also resolved to take legal actions against anybody or any organization that uses the name of our Sheikh in mosques or preaching with the intention of insulting or smearing him henceforth, for it is an affront to our faith and an infringement of our fundamental right to freedom of religion and thought.
- Finally, all right-thinking people in the state and country have now understood the hypocrisy of those clerics who ganged up to eliminate Sheikh Abduljabbar over allegations of blasphemy as they never came together to fight the real blasphemers in selects.
- In recent time, a salafi scholar in Bauchi aate Sheikh Idris Abdulaziz was accused of blasphemy but we have seen his sect members who fought Sheikh Aho sbbar are now defending him for being one of the own.
- People have also seen the silence by the Tajjaniya leaders on the blasphemy committed by their preacher Malam Nasiru Ado Musa in recent times because he is their own. One now asks, is blasphemy against the prophet no longer a sin? If it is a detestable sin and the gang of clerics against our leader, Sheikh Abduljabbar are really fighting blasphemy, why didn’t they gang up again and fight their own people accused of the same blasphemy as Sheikh Abduljabbar?
- People have now discovered that Sheikh Abdullabbar was not fought by those so-called clerics for blaspheming the noble Prophet but because of political reasons and personal grudges by his antagonists,
- We, therefore, say enough to this gang-up, conspiracy, and further insults on Sheikh Abduljabbar, or else we take disturbing legal actions against any person or group found wanting. A word is enough for the wise.
