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The
Nasrul-lahi-li Fathi Society of Nigeria has described the killing of
some persons in Zamfara State over an allegation of blasphemy as a crime
against God and humanity and called for a proper investigation into the
incident.
The
Chief Missioner, Nasrul-lahi-li Fathi Society, Alhaji Abdullahi
Akinbode, told one of our correspondents on the telephone on Tuesday
that blasphemy was not a crime in Nigeria, being a secular state.
He added that the perpetrators of the act should be brought to justice.
He
said, “I have not been fully briefed about the incident. But whatever
the case may be, life is sacred. God has not given anybody the right to
take life, except the authority and the authority is the government of a
nation if one has committed a crime that carries the death penalty.
“No
religion preaches that life should be taken except there is war. But
there is no war and there can never be war. The stand of NASFAT is that
life is sacred. The culprits should be apprehended and be made to face
justice.
“Nigeria
is a multi-religious country. You can only talk of blasphemy where
there is one religion. A blasphemy case will only be established in
jurisprudence if the state makes a rule that the state shall be a state
of one religion. Blasphemy is not unlawful in Nigeria because it is a
multi-religious state.”
The President, Campaign for Democracy, Abdul Usman, also condemned the Zamfara killings.
He
said, “Those who fight the cause of religion should understand that
Almighty God says in many chapters and verses in His holy book that He
will protect His religion.
“In
the days of the holy prophet, he was cursed right to his face without
any reaction from him. Rather, he continued to preach peace.
“Today,
ignorance has bedevilled the religion. The government should
investigate the act and the perpetrators be brought to book. No religion
preaches violence.”
On
his part, the National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Yinka
Odumakin, said it was a shame that people were getting lynched for
blasphemy that is unknown to the laws of Nigeria.
He
said, “Are these barbarians saying their God is not powerful enough to
handle those who disrespect him.? The full weight of the law should be
brought to bear on these murderers to end this nonsense.”
Eight
persons were killed on Monday in Talata Mafara after a student of the
Abdu Gusau Polytechnic, Talata Mafara, was accused of blasphemy.
The
boy was said to have been beaten to a pulp by a mob, after which a man,
whose name was simply given as Tajudeen, took him in his car and drove
him to a hospital.
An eyewitness said the mob, enraged by Tajudeen’s action, moved to his house and set it on fire, killing eight persons.
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