Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State has explained that security considerations were “purely responsible for the ban on the activities of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria in the state”.
Lalong said in Jos on Monday that Plateau State has laws regulating the practice of religions.
He said: “We have a duty to ensure that the practice of religion does not constitute a security risk to anyone.”
The governor, who spoke through Dan Manjang, his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, was reacting to allegations by IMN that he (Lalong) was merely copying what his Kaduna State counterpart, Ahmed El-Rufai, did a week earlier by banning the activities of the IMN.
Lalong had banned the group last week following series of protests that turned violent and led to the deaths of some of the sect members after a clash with security personnel.
Some members of the group were injured, with many arrested.
The IMN leader in Plateau State, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa, while reacting to the ban, told newsmen on Sunday that Lalong merely replicated what El-Rufai did “without recourse to the dictates of the law”.
Musa said: “The governor stood logic on its head by outrightly banning our organisation. There was no reason for his action.
“The arbitrary ban has stripped us of our fundamental rights to practise our faith.”
But Lalong dismissed the allegations that Plateau State merely emulated Kaduna State, wondering why the state should be accused of seeking to domesticate a decision taken by the Kaduna government.
He said that the ban was to protect residents of Plateau State, “including members of the IMN”.
Lalong said: “The ban was also to protect the Shi’ite’ members; they were already open to risk with many of them physically attacked while their structures were being burnt and destroyed.
“Our prompt action was based on the situation at the time because as a government, we owe it a duty to protect the people, even from themselves.”
On the allegations that IMN members had been denied their rights, the governor said that every right offered to the citizens must be used responsibly.
He said: “The law is clear about that. Once your right jeopardises other people’s rights, it can be tampered with. That is what we did.”
Lalong said that government was always ready to ban the activities of any organisation if they were found to constitute a security risk.
The governor appealed to residents of the state to be law abiding and respect each.
Lalong noted: “We must endeavour to respect and protect each other.
“Respect must be mutual.
“No religion encourages violence; certainly not in Plateau.”
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