The Supreme Council of Sharia in Nigeria, SCSN has said that the Shiite sect led by Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, was deadlier than the violent Boko Haram insurgents.
The Secretary-General of the SCSN, Mallam Nafiu Baba-Ahmed, who stated this while testifying before the Justice Mohammed Garba’s Judicial Commission of Inquiry on the Army/Shi’ites clash commission on Wednesday, said the Islamic sect posed greater danger to the corporate existence of Nigeria than the once deadly Boko Haram terrorists.
Baba-Ahmed warned that the inability of the government to deal decisively with the Shiites could spell doom for the country.
He also alleged that there was a link between the Shi’ite leader, El-Zakzaky, and the late leader of Boko Haram, Mohammed Yusuf, saying the two had close relationship in terms of ideological beliefs.
He added that El-Zakzaky and Yusuf had held tenaciously to their beliefs contrary to Islamic principles.
According to the SCSN’s secretary, over the years, the Shi’ites had adopted Boko Haram style of eliminating Islamic clerics perceived to be opposed to their doctrines.
He believed that the fear of the Shiites might have forced some Islamic clerics to stay away from testifying before the panel.
He called on the government to learn from its experience of Boko Haram menace to deal decisively with the Shi’ite group.
“Small fire becomes huge conflagration if not tackled in an effective and timely manner. Failure to act will spell catastrophe for Nigeria,” he stated.
Baba-Ahmed explained that during the administration of ex-Governor Ahmed Makarfi, the Shi’ite leader attended the Kaduna State Security Council meetings because the former governor regarded El-Zakzaky’s participation as politically expedient due to his large followers.
He said successive administrations in the state, except the government of Col. Hamid Ali (retd.) had tolerated the Shi’ite activities in the state, describing the Zaria clash between the group and the Nigerian Army as a divine retribution.
Also, Prof. Isa Maishanu of the Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto, told the commission that violence was the trade mark of the Shiite movement.
He noted that sundry clashes between the Shi’ites and other Islamic sects in Sokoto were the results of the group’s penchant for provoking the anger of the leaders of the Caliphate.
Also, a former Vice-Chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Prof. Abdullahi Mahdi, while testifying before the commission, alleged that the Shiites remained a threat to the security and sovereignty of the country.
The ex-VC said, “Iran is Nigeria number one enemy because they (Iranians) are the sponsors of the Shi’ites in the country.
“Iranian envoys and probably specialised groups from Iran offer them ideological and other forms of training, especially military training. These can be observed from the video clip.”
Mahdi explained that ‘Shiitsm’ was introduced to Nigeria by a Pakistani called Islamul-Haq, who was a lecturer in the Department of Economics at ABU, Zaria, from the mid 1970s to 80s.
“As a matter of fact, he tried to induct me into ‘Shiitsm’ but I refused. He however succeeded in luring Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, who was a student in the Department of Economics.
Islamul-Haq house became a laboratory, a recruitment centre and induction of Shiitsm,” he said.
Follow Us
