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Senate to consider proposal for creation of Sharia Courts in South-West

May 27, 2021 No Comments

A group known as the Muslim Congress has submitted a memo to the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, proposing the implementation of Sharia in the southwest region.

The Islamic religious law is implemented in Muslim-majority states in the Northern region, despite the constitutional provision that states be secular.

Sharia is alien to the southwest region which has an almost equal population of Christian adherents and Muslims.

The Senate commenced its zonal public hearings on constitutional amendments across the country on Wednesday, May 26, 2021, months after soliciting suggestions from the public.

While presenting its memo at the Lagos hearing on Wednesday, The Muslim Congress said it wants Sharia implemented in the Yoruba-speaking southwest to cater to its Muslim population.

TMC representative, Abdulganihu Bamidele said: “We want to partner for the creation of Sharia courts in the southwest because of our population of Muslims.”

The faith-based organisation also proposed amendments to the constitution focusing on gender equality, local government autonomy, state and community policing, and judicial and legislative autonomy.

Dozens of other organisations and individuals also presented their memos at the public hearing on Wednesday, with the most common topics revolving around gender equality, restructuring, and devolution of power from the Federal Government to the State and Local Governments.

Senator representing Lagos Central, Oluremi Tinubu, who chaired the public hearing, said the Senate will consider all the public submissions to create the perfect document to address everyone’s concerns.

Politics

Yoruba leaders to meet over insecurity in South west region

March 11, 2021 No Comments

Leaders of Yoruba nation under the aegis of the Pan Yoruba Congress (PYC) are billed to meet and deliberate over the security crisis facing the South-Western region of the country.

A statement by the Congress’ Committee Chairman, Ogbeni Sola Lawal, on Thursday revealed that the meeting is bill for Wednesday next week in Ibadan, Oyo State.

According to Lawal, leaders of the region expected at the event includes leaders of all facets of human engagement such as traditional, political, religious, business and social among others.

Everything is set for the historic gathering.The Pan Yoruba congress is about our unity as a race, it is about our destiny and it is about our stake in securing the southwest and making our region safe for all and sundry, ” Lawal said.

Lawal noted that the event would set the agenda for comprehensive safety and security across the southwest region as allowed within the ambit of the law of the nation.

The region has been bedevilled of late by killings and violence prompted by allegations against herders.

Politics

Miyetti Allah conceeds to ban on open grazing issued by Southwest Govs

January 26, 2021 No Comments

The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has conceded to the demands of South-West Governors to place a ban on open grazing in the region.

This was contained in a statement issued on Monday night by The National President of MACBAN, Alhaji Muhammadu Kiruwa, who directed Fulani herders across the South-West to put an end to both night and under-aged grazing with immediate effect.

Kiruwa who issued the statement while speaking at a meeting, also warned herders to henceforth desist from taking their cows to people’s farms for grazing.

He said: “I want to plead with all our members to avoid allowing cows straying into farms, they should stop small boys, as a matter of urgency, from going to graze; also, night grazing must stop either in Ondo State, South-West or across the country.

“This is one of the reasons we have herders and farmers clashes. This has always been causing conflicts between farmers and herders. I can assure you of our support and cooperation.”

While reacting to the quit notice order given by Governor Akeredolu, he said: “We believe dialogue is key in achieving peaceful co-existence. We assure their Excellencies that we will continue with our awareness campaign to our members to appreciate the sensibilities of their host communities by ensuring they live in peace.

“The menace of banditry, cattle rustling and kidnapping emerged as a result of poor management of farmers/herders’ conflicts that gave rise to cattle rustling, thus giving birth to kidnapping, and later banditry.

“In all of these, our members are the worse victims and also culprits. To date, over 10,000 pastoralists have been killed as a result of farmers/herders’ conflicts. Over five million cows have been lost to these incidents.

“We find it distasteful and dangerous the recent incidence in Oyo where people are allowed to take laws into their hands by killing and burning properties at will.

“The government should come down heavily on perpetrators of such acts and provide immediate palliatives to the families of people who lost their lives and properties in order to ease their frustrations.

“We are open to working with the NGF in designing what we think can work in solving these problems.

“We condemn all sorts of criminality, extra-judicial killings and the impunity that is associated with it. Once more, we reiterate that MACBAN has never and will not condone any form of criminality by anyone.

“We stand for peace and justice to all. We pray we will continue to have this kind of interactions from time to time to foster peace and harmony in Nigeria,” Kiruwa concluded.

Ripples Nigeria had reported that Governors of the six South-West states on Monday agreed to ban all forms of open grazing in the region.

This was disclosed on the Twitter handle of the Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, who said that the decision was taken at the governors meeting with the leadership of MACBAN and security chiefs all present.