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| Gov. El-Rufai |
The
Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, has raised the alarm over the emergence
of a deadly Islamic group, “Gausiyya” in Markafi Local Government Area of the
state.
Mr.
El-Rufai made this known in a radio interview on Saturday, while justifying the
need to regulate religious activities in the state.
The
governor had weeks ago forwarded the Religious Regulation Bill, 2016, to the
state House of Assembly, a situation that pitched him against religious leaders
and rights activists across the country. The proposed law seeks to regulate
religious activities, especially preaching, and to provide sanctions for its
violation.
By initiating the bill, he said
the governor had drawn a battle line with God and would pay dearly unless he
backed down. As part of measures to educate Kaduna people on the intent of the
bill, Mr. El-Rufai, in a radio interview on Friday, said there was a security
report of an emergence of a dangerous Islamic group in the state.
“We had a security report that
a new Islamic organization called GAUSIYYA is springing up in one of our local
government areas, precisely Makarfi. After studying the group’s activities, we
understand that it is not a sect that we should allow to stay in our state.
They preach contrary to the teachings of Islam and are gradually recruiting
youth in the name of religion. We have decided to stop the group and their activities
before they grew and become a problem for the state. Negligence is what brought
about the Maitatsine in the 80’s and the Boko Haram insurgents we are now
fighting.”