FEATURE ARTICLE

Thursday, January 30, 2020
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UK
NIGERIA DIED, WHEN THE NORTH DECLARED SHARIA LAW

arly in 2019, Reverend Anthony Jata'u of the Anglican Diocese of Sokoto and his family, were kidnapped. Some days later, his dead body was found, but his wife and older children were still missing. I do not know if they have been found.

This is not just an ordinary crime, it is a premeditated hate crime against a family because they are different, inspired by the ideals of Islamists, whose aim is to destroy Christianity in the north and impose sharia laws all over the country. It is the result of weaponisation of Islam by a group of northern Islamists.

Reverend Jata�u and his family are some of the thousands of innocent Nigeria who have lost their lives, since Islamists in the north stepped up their attempt to impose Islam all over Nigeria, which has set Nigeria on a high way to anarchy, extremism and intolerance.

The death of Reverend Jata�u is another evidence that there is a murderous Jihadist gang operating all over Nigeria and their aim is to instil fear in every Nigerian and drive Christians away from the north.

Islamists from north include President Buhari, Governor ElRufai, of Kaduna State, former Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara, Saultan of Sokoto and other members of Miyetti Allah. They are a group of Moslems who use Islam as a political weapon and sanction the use of political power and force to achieve religious objectives. It is their ideology that gave rise to extremists Islamic groups like IS, Boko Haram etc.

These northern Islamists are not content to live peacefully with others, even after declaring sharia laws in the north. They are behind Nigeria joining Organisation of Islamic countries, including sharia in Nigerian constitution, inserting Islamic symbols in the Naira and Nigeria army flag, injecting Islamic teaching in national education curriculum and the current aggressive attempt to take over lands all over Nigeria to set up Fulani colonies.

Their aim is to declare Nigeria an Islamic Republic ruled from Sokoto, which is why the Buhari Administration have been promoting the profile of the Sultan of Sokoto as the eminent traditional rule of Nigeria. When Prince Charles visited Nigeria, for the first time, Nigerian traditional rulers were ranked.

When they are not abducting Christians girls and forcefully marrying them to their Emirs, they are beheading non Muslims, by falsely claiming that they blasphemed against Islam, burning churches and Christian villages or murdering priests.

The weaponisation of Islam for political end has created the schism that will lead to the end of Nigeria as we know it today, if Nigeria fails to return to the path of liberal democracy.

So far, the government of Nigeria has failed to behave or act in the way an honest and sincere government would under the circumstance.

It is no longer a secrete that the Buhari Administration has an islamisation/Fulanisation agenda and is pushing a Sectarian agenda of northern domination and attempting to take over of Nigerian arable lands by Fulanis is part of this nefarious plan.

Today, the Nigerian government, the army, the police, the judiciary and the National Assembly are instruments of Fulani colonisation in the hands of Islamists.

The use of an army dominated by northerners to intimidate Igbos in the name of operation python dance and many road blocks where extortion and intimidation takes place is also part of this grand plan.

The declaration of Islam in the north is part of their strategy. The ethnic cleansing of northern minorities is another. This is a serious existential threat to all non-Muslims in Nigeria, which cannot be wished or prayed away.

The concerted attempt to take over land and water resources all over Nigeria by the Buhari Administration is a major part of the strategy of the Islamists.

This will allow them to impose Fulani colonies with armed terrorists all over Nigeria to continue what they have been doing in the Middle belt and southern Kaduna for many years.

I suppose, it is time to restate that the Nigerian and her institutions, including the army are not properties of the Islamists that dominate the politics of north Nigeria.

Over the years, they have lowered standard and set Nigeria on a down wards spiral, which has seen the deterioration of standards in all aspects of life.

They have failed to invest in the education and enlightenment of the people, producing a large illiterate population which is easy to indoctrinate and radicalise.

It is from this population that they recruit into Fulani terrorism using the smoke screen of cattle herding.

Every Nigerian should now understand that the problem is not really about religion. It is that Islamists in the north have weaponised Islam in the pursuit of power.

This reality must become part of the political consciousness of every Nigerian, if the country would survive this evil ideology, that has destroyed many countries.

Nigeria must accept the necessity to elect as leaders, people who believe in liberal democracy and rule of law and have the courage to stand for what is right, just and equal.

Make no mistake about it, these Islamists want a war, which is why they are arming and taking over the police and army. This is why they are not interested in bringing Fulani terrorists, kill and go police men and soldier commuting extrajudicial killings to justice.

Nigerians cannot afford a war with them. Nigerians have to engage them politically, legally and economically. It is on these grounds only that they can be defeated.

Honest Nigerian leaders must invest heavily in education of our people, and in creating conducive environment in many regions for business, the rule of law, equality, tolerance and excellence to flourish.

This involves investing in infrastructure and creating business friendly environment by the governors. Nigerians who believe in liberal democracy and civil society cannot win this war, if elected leaders fail to provide the right leadership by investing in the people their future and security.

This will involve Nigerians changing their investment pattern, playing intelligent politics and be ready to defend and fight for their fundamental human rights anywhere in Nigeria.

Those who are pursuing narrowly defined ethnic nationalist agenda must be re-educate so that they can embrace the values of liberal democracy.

The Islamists register underage voters in the north to permanently give themselves democratic advantage, while other Nigeria leaders keep quiet. No one holds them accountable for cheating at elections.

Nigeria is on a slippery slip to anarchy, as the Islamist have underestimated the determination of Nigerians to resist them. It is time to call Buhari out for who and what he is, an Islamist and Fulani supremacist, using Islam as a political weapon.

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