More tension in Plateau, as Shariah Council protests exclusion of Muslims in security committee

The Supreme Council for Shariah in Nigeria (SCSN) has issued a strong statement criticizing the exclusion of Muslim representatives from a newly formed security committee in Plateau State.

The statement, jointly signed by SCSN President Sheikh AbdulRasheed Hadiyahtullah and Secretary Mallam Nafi’u Ahmed, on Sunday, called this exclusion a “disregard” for the state’s diverse population and a threat to effective conflict resolution.

The SCSN highlights that Muslims constitute at least 40% of Plateau State’s population, yet no Muslim representatives were included in the security committee tasked with addressing ongoing conflicts. This, they argue, undermines the principle of justice and hinders the development of a united front against these challenges.

The statement goes further, demanding the inclusion of Muslim representatives as a “right and in the interest of equity.” It warns that the current situation sends a “disturbing message to the world” and risks “compounding the crisis” instead of resolving it.

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It reads on full, “The total exclusion of Muslim representation from the security committee not only disregards the diverse fabric of the state (with at least 40 per cent Muslims) but also jeopardises the effectiveness of the committee in addressing the root causes of the ongoing conflicts.

“We urgently call for a reevaluation of the committee’s composition to ensure that it is truly representative of the entire population.

“The current imbalance not only undermines the principles of justice but also hinders the development of a united front against the challenges faced by the state.

“We, therefore, demand, as a right and in the interest of equity, the governor to heed this call for justice and equitable representation, as his action is sending a disturbing message to the world and creating a recipe for compounding the crisis.”

This strong stance by the SCSN is likely to escalate tensions surrounding the security committee formation and its potential effectiveness. It remains to be seen how the government will respond to the SCSN’s demands and whether it will consider incorporating Muslim representation to ensure a more inclusive and potentially more effective approach to tackling the state’s security challenges.

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