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…alleges sectarian agenda, judicial weaponization
From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has raised the alarm over what it described as indications of religious bias in the ongoing prosecution of former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasiru El-Rufai, for alleged corruption and other offences.
The Council alleged that recent developments surrounding the case suggested the involvement of extraneous religious interests, warning against the use of public institutions and the legal system to pursue a sectarian agenda against the former governor.
The NSCIA, in a statement signed by its Secretary-General, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, on Tuesday, said it had previously refrained from commenting on the prosecution of El-Rufai because it considered the matter a normal judicial process.
According to the Council, it had remained confident that the judiciary possessed the inherent capacity to administer justice and ensure a fair trial.
However, it said recent developments in the public domain had raised serious concerns and strongly suggested an extraneous involvement of an underlying religious bias against the former governor.
The development thus prompted the Islamic body to break its silence and call on the Federal Government and the Judiciary to ensure that religious interests did not interfere with the judicial process.
“The Council calls upon the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Judiciary to ensure that individuals with vested religious interests are strictly prevented from weaponizing public institutions or the legal system to execute a sectarian agenda against him,” Oloyede said.
The Council’s intervention effectively places the El-Rufai prosecution within a wider debate over the alleged politicisation and religious manipulation of state institutions.
While the NSCIA did not identify any individual or group it accused of pursuing such an agenda, it warned that persons with vested religious interests must not be allowed to influence the institutions responsible for administering justice.
The Council also appealed to Nigerians to exercise restraint in their public comments on the case, warning that incendiary statements could undermine the former governor’s right to a fair trial and further aggravate the country’s security challenges.
“Furthermore, the Council appeals to the public to refrain from incendiary comments that could prejudice the fair trial of Mallam El-Rufai or exacerbate the security situation in our nation,” it said.
The NSCIA had, until now, maintained a position of restraint over the prosecution of El-Rufai and other political figures, stressing that it did not ordinarily interfere in judicial proceedings.
Its latest statement, however, signals growing concern within the organisation that religious considerations may be creeping into a process that should be determined solely by law and evidence.
The Council urged the Federal Government and the Judiciary to ensure that justice is not only done but is also seen to be done, particularly in a case capable of generating strong political and public reactions.
It concluded by calling for peace, stability and security in the country, praying that Almighty Allah would grant Nigeria peace and security.
