By Chuks Oyema-Aziken
Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Alhaji
Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, has raised alarm that the ongoing protests is tilting towards uncontrollable scenario.
The President-General, JNI, stated this in a press release signed by Prof. Khalid Abubakar Aliyu, Secretary-General, JNI, and released to the media Thursday evening.
The Sultan once again appealed to the protest conveners, their covert and overt benefactors, as well as other critical stakeholders to sheath their swords and urgently come to the table for dialogue.
He said “We genuinely feared escalation to an uncontrollable scenario and the reports are tilting towards that. Therefore, we in the name of Allah, the Most High call for an end to the snowballing rampaging, in the name of protest.
“We should all understand that there must be a stable country called Nigeria, before we can proudly call ourselves Nigerians. With tomorrow being Friday, Jumu’ah mosque Imams and Muslim leaders are implored to calm nerves and call on the Ummah to appreciate peace than chaotic state of affairs, which may even deny us congregational prayers.
He called for continued prayers for Allah’s apt intervention.
“In fact, all Imams are equally called upon to commence sustained supplications and/or
prayers at this moment of grief, through Qunootun-Nawazil (special prayers at calamitous periods in the last Raka’ah of each obligatory prayer and non-obligatory prayers).
“This call has become imperative bearing in mind that the protest is getting out-of-hand, and the consequence of which may be too heavy on the West-African sub region. More so, the Sultan further calls on all Majaalis (knowledge seeking gatherings), Halqas (study circles), Madaaris and Makarantun Allo (Islamic schools), as well as the leadership of all Muslim organisations and/or societies’ in Nigeria to commence special prayers in calamitous situations and trying times (Qunootun-Nawazil), and seek Allah’s compassion for Nigeria.
“Nevertheless, the Sultan of Sokoto, implores the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria to
address the nation, by assuring all Nigerians that peace, security, stability, relief to hardship and food security would be achieved under his stewardship, in-sha’Allah.
Likewise, State Governors should also calm nerves, as silence is no longer golden at this
moment of anxiety.”
