Sokoto to champion national law against Shi’ites

The Sokoto State Government is prepared to champion the enactment of a national law that will ban all associations that seeks to threaten the peace and harmonious coexistence of the people of Nigeria.

The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of Sokoto State, Suleiman Usman, said this at a joint press briefing with security chiefs shortly after a security meeting in Sokoto. He said the decision was arrived at against the Islamic Movement of Nigeria’s proposed regional meeting in Sokoto.

“We have observed that individual states cannot enact laws that would effectively tackle these threats, especially now that the threats have national outlook. Kaduna has tried but the same people can move to other states. So, if there is a law at the national level, it would be seen to take effect in all states.

“There are reports that activities of some groups, especially the activities of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria are aimed to stain the security of the state. The state’s Security Council held an emergency meeting to warn the IMN or any other groups,” Usman said, adding that “government will not take it lightly and will deal with any violator(s).”

He also disclosed that “there are nocturnal trainings being held to recruit persons to serve as security agents. This is against the law of the land and we will not condone that.”

Also, the state’s Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Abdulkadir, confirmed that “intelligence reaching the command indicates that a religious sect is planning to organise a Joint African General Meeting in an undisclosed location in Sokoto metropolis.”

He said, “Members of the public who are already aware are apprehensive of the potential danger this meeting, if allowed to hold, will pose.”

The CP said the command had advised the leaders of the sect against any act that might cause the breach of peace in the state.

Abdulkadir, however, stated that in collaboration with other security agencies, the command would commence stop-and-search operations at various locations in the state.

He called on the general public to cooperate with the stop-and-search teams in order to succeed in the duty of preventing the breach of peace.

PUNCH