NIGERIA: More eminent Nigerians have joined the call to restrain the Islamic cleric, Sani Yahaya Jingir, from further inflammatory comments, with the vice presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, urging President Bola Tinubu to publicly caution him over his recent anti-Christian statement.
Also, a former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, has called on Tinubu and the Sultan of Sokoto to publicly caution Jingir over his divisive comments, warning about the potential consequences of what he described as inflammatory religious rhetoric, reports The Guardian.
Meanwhile, a former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor (rtd), has called for the arrest of Islamic clerics Sani Jingir and Ahmad Gumi over what he described as inciting comments capable of worsening the country’s security situation.
In another development, the Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED) has warned that inflammatory religious rhetoric ahead of the 2027 general elections could create a conducive environment for extremism, even as it faulted the presidency for failing to publicly condemn the recent remarks attributed to Jingir.
A former governor of Kano State, Kwankwaso, who spoke on Thursday in Abuja, described Jingir’s comments as inappropriate and capable of deepening religious and political divisions in the country.
Stating that such views do not represent the position of the majority of northern Muslims, he urged the federal government to caution the cleric, adding that the continued propagation of such views is not in the interest of national unity.
“I believe what Malam Yahaya-Jingir is saying is not correct, and it will only succeed in further dividing the country,” Kwankwaso said.
Reacting to the recent comments by some political and religious leaders during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief yesterday, the former military chief said that individuals who make statements capable of inciting violence should be immediately subjected to investigation and, where necessary, arrested.
“For me, any time we hear individuals who make inciting comments, I think that such people should be picked up immediately.”
The former CDS said Jingir’s inciting comments “could also add to the bouquet of threats. He also should be arrested.
“I also believe that the various comments that someone like (Abubakar) Gumi has been making also demand that he be called not just to order but, of course, invited and arrested to let the populace know that there is nobody above the law. And then, when you say things that are not right, you should be called in to answer.”
According to Irabor, the authorities must take firm action against inflammatory statements to discourage rhetoric that could undermine peace and security, thereby also boosting the morale of the country’s defence and security personnel.
Meanwhile, in a statement, Fani-Kayode said he was particularly disturbed by Jingir’s reported declaration that he had “no regrets” over his statements at a recent public event, irrespective of the strong condemnation it attracted from both Christians and Muslims.
Commending the sultan for recently urging Christians and Muslims not to insult one another, he described the intervention by the emir, as the leader of the Muslim community in Nigeria, as a “fatherly counsel” that had helped calm tensions.
He maintained that Nigerians should not allow religious differences to destroy the country’s unity, stressing that Christians and Muslims deserved equal respect.
In a statement yesterday, CHRICED Executive Director, Ibrahim Zikirullahi, described the cleric’s remarks as “incendiary and deeply troubling,” warning that such rhetoric could further deepen Nigeria’s religious and political fault lines.
CHRICED said it was particularly concerned about the use of the word “infidels” to describe fellow Nigerians of other faiths, arguing that such language was inconsistent with the principles of peaceful coexistence.
The organisation also warned that inflammatory religious rhetoric had historically contributed to an atmosphere in which extremist movements could thrive.
It is precisely such incendiary rhetoric that had fuelled extremist movements like Boko Haram and other violent groups that continue to threaten Nigeria’s stability,” the group said.
Stressing that Jingir did not speak for the majority of Nigerian Muslims, many of whom, it noted, were also bearing the consequences of economic hardship, insecurity, unemployment and poverty, the organisation argued that political leadership should be determined by competence, integrity, accountability and service rather than religious identity.
However, CHRICED expressed concern over what it described as the failure of the presidency and the governors who attended the Kano event to publicly condemn Jingir’s remarks. It emphasised that such silence from political leaders at a time of heightened political and religious tension could lend legitimacy to dangerous rhetoric.
It also referenced a recent remark attributed to the spokesperson to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Lere Olayinka, concerning the use of the term “infidels,” as well as a statement it attributed to President Tinubu during an engagement with Catholic bishops. CHRICED described the current situation as a “dangerous precedent.”
