Kano prominent Islamic scholar, Sheikh Abduljabbar Nasiru Kabara, says Thursday that Governor Abdullahi Ganduje’s administration closed his mosque and barred him from preaching for political reasons.
He said “the reasons are very obvious. The person who took the decision (Ganduje) has said it times without number that he never forgives. I fought him during the last election and he promised to retaliate. Only that he is taking the wrong decision at the wrong time. So, this ban is purely political, it has nothing to do with religion or incitement,” the cleric told Daily Trust.
The state government announced the ban on Wednesday, citing “security concerns” generated by the “inciting preaching” by the Qadiriyya movement leader. The scholar, however, denied all the allegations.
“I have told my followers to prepare their votes ahead of the next election and do the needful. Alhamdulillah for everything, I am fighting scholars, not government, but at the end, government took over on their behalf.
“This clearly shows that they don’t have answers to all my questions. How does the government know that I’m inciting the public on religious issues? Did they go through the books I have been making reference to before jumping to the conclusion? Are they even knowledgeable about them?
“They should at least checked the books I made reference to but without doing so, they have been unfair to me.
“This decision is sheer injustice. And, whosoever wants to understand the situation should look for what the Kano State Commissioner for Education said last night (Wednesday) wherein he explained that the government has deliberately succumbed to the pressure of these scholars who used their political ideologies to alter religious issues to their taste,” Sheikh Abduljabbar said.
The cleric, however, appealed to his followers to remain law-abiding.
“I am appealing to my followers to exercise patience with this decision and never revolt against it. Injustice will never remain forever. Let us continue to pray and it shall come to pass soon Insha Allah,” he said.
