MOSQUE DEMOLITION: Sharia Council warns of grave danger over Wike’s ‘desperate wickedness’

The Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria, on Monday, came hard on Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, for ordering the demolition of a Jumaat mosque in Port Harcourt.

The council also warned of grave consequences if federal executive and legislative authorities failed to nip the developing crisis in the bud, while calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to step in “so as to prevent a breakdown of law and order.”

The council gave the warning in Kaduna on Monday when the Secretary General of the council, Nafiu Baba-Ahmad, addressed newsmen.

According to him, the action was not only “irresponsible,” but also “capable of degenerating into serious security problem in the country.”

Condemning what it called the conspiratory silence of some Muslim leaders including governors and legislators, in the face of grave injustice to Muslims, the council said: “While we condemn Wike’s desperate wickedness, we also call on all relevant executive and legislative organs of the Federal Government to nip this unnecessary and unwholesome development before it escalates into an avoidable reciprocation, with obvious unpredictable negative consequences.”

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The council also reminded Governor Wike that what makes Nigeria great is its pluralism and diversity, adding that a recent survey on the number of churches in the country revealed that “there are more churches in Kano city alone than in Bayelsa State and that the number of churches in Sokoto outnumber those in Ebonyi State.”

The group added: “So, if we adopt similar intolerant and irresponsible action by Governor Wike, only God knows what the negative consequence would be for peace and continued corporate existence of the country.

“Islam means peace and total submission to the will of Allah, so it is because of that you have in the city of the Caliphate more churches than in the whole Bayelsa state.”

The council also accused Governor Wike of lying when he claimed that he did not demolish any mosque, stressing that the mosque had valid approval of the state government, and as such there was no justification for its demolition.

“Clearly, he got carried away by the recent declaration of Rivers as a Christian state; therefore, he is trying to show his intolerance of Muslims.

“Governor Wike should reverse what he has done and pay compensation for demolishing the mosque and reinstate their title for the land.

“As a responsible political leader, he ought to have taken the interest of the larger population than selfish political interest,” it said.

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