Council warns Bauchi religious leaders against inciteful sermons

The Bauchi State Security Council has issued a warning, stating that it will not tolerate religious leaders stirring up trouble and dividing the people.

Two significant issues threatening the relative peace in the state were discussed, according to Ibrahim Kassim, Chairman of the Council and Secretary to the Bauchi State Government, who briefed journalists at the conclusion of the meeting on Monday at the Government House.

According to him, the council talked about the resurgence of young, armed thugs known as “Sara Suka,” who are attacking innocent residents and robbing them of their possessions.

Kassim said that the recent preaching by an Islamic scholar in the state during a Ramadan Tafsir, which he claimed, generated a lot of heat, reactions and counter-preachings, was also discussed extensively.

Read Also: Bauchi APC group condemns suspension of ex officio member

“As you are aware, we have just finished a period of very intense campaigning for elections. Since then, a lot of events have occurred that call for extensive security measures. Thank God, they are under our control, and the state remains tranquil as it always has.

“As you are aware, there have been some rumblings and back-and-forth discussions about matters pertaining to preaching, the comprehension of the context of the preaching, and the heat it has been generating. The problems have been discussed.

We talked about the preaching, the accusation against it, and the counterpreaching in relation to the state’s immediate security issue. In our opinion, the problem is not one of politics or ideology, but rather of statements that are intended to incite conflict among our people.

“So we’ve met, discussed it and we are resolved that Bauchi is a very peaceful state and we will do everything within our power to make sure that it remains peaceful,” he said. “We will not allow anybody either through actions or utterances to disrupt the peace that we’ve been enjoying in the state. That’s why we felt it is important that we meet here today and after that, we are now briefing you, members of the press, and the public.” The SSG said that the Bauchi State Government was aware of its responsibilities with the major responsibility being security of lives and properties of the people of the state.