Plateau govt issues conflicting statements on Shi’ite ban

The Plateau State government has issued two conflicting statements on the ban of activities of members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, popularly known as Shi’ites. Our correspondent reports that the Director of Press and Public Affairs to Governor Simon Bako Lalong, Samuel Emmanuel Nanle, while reacting to rumours of the ban on Friday, said it was false, adding that Shi’ites had a right to their religious activities.

Nanle said: “They have a right to operate as a religious organisation but the government is banning all processions because the peace we are enjoying in Plateau State is fragile and we don’t want any break down of law and order.”

However, the state Commissioner of Police, Peter Babatunde Ogunyanwo, yesterday said a statement by the government had banned all Shi’ite activities in the state. A letter obtained by our correspondent, and signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Rufus Bature, said the state government had banned all Shi’ite activities.

When contacted, the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), Jos zone, Malam Adamu Tsoho, said the movement heard rumours of the alleged ban of their activities and described it as unconstitutional.

Tsoho said the Plateau State government was wrong to take such a decision, adding, “they should look into our history in this state, we are not violent and if the government actually made such a statement then it is going outside the constitution of Nigeria, which gives us the right to our religious activities.”

Tsoho, who said they had video clips of soldiers attacking and molesting innocent women and children for no reason, said, “it’s not true that they arrested our members with weapons.”

However, the Operation Safe Haven Media and Information Officer, Captain Ikedichi Iweha, has since denied all allegations of the Shi’ites, stressing that they extricated members of the movement from the mob, fed them and released them.