The Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria has urged calm over the problem of insecurity in the country and cautioned against utterances and actions that may threaten the peace of the nation.
The Vice President of SCSN, Sheikh Abdur’rasheed Hadiyatullahi, said this at a press conference in Osogbo, the Osun State capital.
Hadiyatullahi, who is also the Coordinator of the Concerned Yoruba Muslims Scholars in Nigeria, expressed worry over the recent events in Osogbo, where an individual, Sunday Adeyemo, also known as Sunday Igboho, issued a quit notice to some Fulani herders in Igangan community, which later resulted to the destruction of property of the Fulani settlers in the community.
The Cleric cautioned Igboho not to encourage or resort to jungle justice just as he called on government and security agencies to deal with criminals among the Fulani herders and prevent the issue from degenerating to full blown crisis in the country.
According to him: “There is no gainsaying that this is not the best of times for all of us in the country as far as the security issues are concerned.
“From Abuja to Kaduna to Anambra to Oyo, the challenges of security is so overwhelming that it is almost leading to unnecessary heating up of the polity.
“For almost a decade now, the cases of kidnapping, banditry, highway robberies are rampant in the Country, coupled with the Boko Haram crisis, but the recent security challenge is that of herdsmen versus host community in virtually all the States of Federation, most especially in the Southern part of the Country.
“The most surprising part of the whole challenge is that the crisis is between the people who have lived peacefully as brothers for years.”
The Islamic body called for dialogue and wider consultation on the clashes between farmers and Fulani herders.