The order was given on the pretence that the cleric insults the “companions of the Holy Prophet Muhammed.”
The residence and mosque of a popular Islamic cleric, Abduljabbar Nasiru-Kabara, in Kano State have been taken over by operatives of the police and the Department of State Services. They were deployed on the instruction of the state governor, Abdullahi Ganduje.
SaharaReporters gathered that the DSS and police siege to his residence began on Wednesday. The cleric has been denied food and other necessary supplies to his home.
It was also learnt that the cleric could not hold his prayers and have access to his mosque due to the siege ordered by Ganduje, who is said to perceive Nasiru-Kabara as a critic and political enemy.
The state government had on Wednesday, through the Commissioner of Information, Muhammad Garba, ordered the closure of the cleric’s mosque and house, located at Gwale Local Government Area in the Kano metropolis.
The order was given on the pretence that the cleric insults the “companions of the Holy Prophet Muhammed.”
While reacting to the ban, Mr Abduljabbar described the governor’s action as political, saying that Mr Ganduje was all out to settle a score against him.
According to the cleric, the ban was not religious because he worked against the re-election of Mr Ganduje during the 2019 elections.
He said, “The reasons are undeniable. The person who took the decision (Ganduje) has said it times without number that he never forgives. I fought him during the last election, and he promised to retaliate.
“Only that he is taking the wrong decision at the wrong time. So this ban is purely political; it has nothing to do with religion or incitement.
“I have told my followers to prepare their votes ahead of the next election and do the needful. Alhamdulillah for everything, I am fighting scholars, not the government, but in the end, the government took over on their behalf. This decision is sheer injustice.”
The cleric’s lawyer, Harun Magashi, told SaharaReporters that the cleric was denied food and other supplies for days. They were preparing legal processes to challenge the violation of his human rights.
Magashi said, “He was technically put under house arrest without an order of the court. We have swung into action and the process will be prepared and filed in due time. We will fight this battle to the end.
“The basic amenities of life were not available at his house. It was hard for them to bring food to the home. On Friday, it took several hours persuading the police to allow food to be taken inside the house.
“He was prevented from using the mosque. We don’t know if he had an underlying sickness; his medical need was also denied. They blocked the mosque. He could not preach nor pray in the mosque.”