NSCIA, Northern Leaders Preach Peace

Following Wednesday’s fracas in the commercial city of Onitsha, where a mosque and some trucks with Dangote inscribed on them were burnt by Biafra agitators, the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and the Northern Governors have made a move to restore peace in the city.The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Mohammed Sa’ad Abubakar, heads the NSCIA which is a strong canopy for Islam in Nigeria.Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, who is currently the Northern Governors’ Forum Chairman also buttressed the need for stakeholders to take strict measures to put a stop to violence in Onitsha.In Sultan’s words; “that the evil being perpetrated by the Boko Haram insurgents against innocent Muslims, Christians and followers of other religions, regardless of their geo-political divides since the last six years, was more than enough trouble for the country and hence the need to come together as a single unit to collectively fight terrorism that is a threat to all law-abiding Nigerians.“We condemn the Wednesday crisis in very strong terms. We have been in touch with one another today. The governors of major cities in the North in particular, have been in critical touch to share thoughts and we have collectively taken firm measures to ensure that the violence doesn’t spread to any part of the 19 northern states and we will also be working with our colleagues in the South to nip the crisis in the bud, but we will not disclose the measures we have taken so that those who may want to take advantage of the Onitsha mayhem don’t know our strategies.“However, it is surprising to the Northern States Governors’ Forum that any Nigerian at all can even contemplate any kind of violence when we already have serious problems of Boko Haram insurgents that are killing Muslims and Christians, killing northerners and southerners, attacking mosques, churches and markets, in an effort to kill all of us that do not subscribe to their interpretation of Islam.“We can’t afford any distraction that will shift our focus from the bigger problems of Boko Haram that has an ambition of sending the human race into extinction. We urge all Nigerians to be calm.“We particularly call on all Nigerians living in the northern states not to pay attention to differences in religion and ethnicity, but should rather see each other as Nigerians with equal residential rights and fundamental human rights that include freedom to lawfully reside anywhere in Nigeria, freedom of worship, movement, trade, association, education, healthcare and other rights as provided by the Nigerian constitution.“We particularly call on our youths not to allow anyone to use them for any purpose because youths have suffered more than any other age category from the hands of Boko Haram insurgents and that is more than enough. Our focus should be on how to end the Boko Haram insurgency and not to be driven into any other crisis.“We have suffered too much, we must say no to any crisis. As heads of Government of the 19 northern states, we will, by the grace of God, do everything humanly possible to ensure that no resident, regardless of his or her ethno-religious background, is denied any of these rights.“As Nigerians, we are one, we need one another and we must live as one people.”“In addition, we want to request all Imams and Muslim scholars to cooperate with the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs in dousing the tension created by the unfortunate incident.”The NSCIA urged Muslims to beware of falling into the agenda of the hoodlums in Onitsha to cause a religious crisis nationwide.“Muslims are warned against the antics of those who seek to whip up religious sentiments to further their clandestine political motives. Vengeance is for Allah and Muslims should exercise maximum restraint in these trying times.“We also call on the government to investigate the incident surrounding the killings and wanton destruction of the mosque in Onitsha and bring the perpetrators to justice.“We pray for God’s continued guidance and support of our leaders and the citizens of Nigeria in the effort towards building a nation where peace and justice shall reign,” Shettima added.