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Kano Riots: MP Appeals to Islamic Clerics for Intervention

Vanguard (Lagos)
NEWS
May 14, 2004
Posted to the web May 14, 2004

By Emmanuel Aziken
Abuja
SENATOR Usman Umar from Kano State has charged Islamic clerics in Kano to
propagate the message of peaceful collaboration with non-indigenes towards
calming the riotous situation that recently engulfed the town.
Condemning the renewed religious riots in Kano in an interview, Senator Umar
(ANPP, Kano) traced the crisis to pockets of fanatics who he said had taken
advantage of the unemployment situation in the city to foment riot in the town.
He spoke against the background of renewed religious riots in Kano last
Tuesday, which led to the death of scores of non-Muslims in the ancient trading
and industrial city.
Urging the indigenes of the town to be more accommodating in the light of the
contributions of settlers to the development of Kano, he urged the Ullama to
take more interest in preaching tolerance and peace among the faithfuls.
"Kano is cosmopolitan, a lot of people from outside Kano made Kano what it is
now, so we must be accommodating. We must be patient and hope that the leaders,
particularly the Muslim Ulama, the Mallams will assist in calming down the
situation and tell people that killing people is not the best way out."
"There is no religion that allows people to kill and as Muslims people should
not be encouraged to kill other people," he said.
Tracing the crisis to disgruntled fanatics who collaborated with unemployed
youths, he said:
"Apart from the fact that it is done by a pocket of people who are fanatics, I
believe generally that people are unemployed, they are not doing anything and
then the smallest thing they take advantage and try to kill people," Senator
Umar said.
Frowning at the insensitivity of the rioters in killing a human being merely
because of religious persuasions, he called on the Federal Government to pay
more attention to the issue towards eliminating the immediate and remote causes
of riots which have now and then touched on the ancient city.
He particularly urged the government to immediately implement recommendations
of white papers of previous enquiries into religious crises in Kano.
"I just can't understand that just because of my religion or my tribe I will
kill a person without knowing that I commit an offence. So government should be
more serious and they should deploy more security agents, multi religious,
multi ethnic to take care of the situation and they should also try to bring
out all the recommendations in past white papers," he concluded.

   

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