Bauchi State Government on Friday suspended an Islamic cleric, Malam Abubakar Idris of Azare in Katagum local government area for alleged inciting preaching.
The cleric, however, said the allegations were not true, and the government was deceived into taking the decision against him for political reasons.
Commissioner for Religious Affairs, Community Relations and Social Welfare, Ahmad Aliyu Jalam, disclosed this in a statement.
The statement said the letter of suspension MORA&CR/S/OFF/04/II/26 dated 27 April 2021 has been conveyed to the cleric.
“The attention of the Bauchi State Government has been drawn to the manner of your preaching and sermons. The report revealed that you are castigating the companions of our noble Prophet Muhammad (SAW) while conducting your preaching,” the statement said.
However, the cleric said the allegations were not true.
“The truth of the matter is that all the allegations were not true. Rather it was some people whom we have some misunderstanding with that took advantage and politicised the issue,” Idris said.
“To be frank, government officials did not understand the motive behind the whole matter. This is because nobody contacted me to hear my own side of the story. The (government) just received the one-sided report and acted upon it. I have no doubt on the content of my sermons and preaching, and neither am I afraid of them to be taken to any authorities. I have not breached the tenets of Islam or contravened the law of the land.”
