El-Rufai: NSCIA Raises Religious Bias Concerns, Demands Justice

The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has raised concerns over what it described as indications of religious bias in the ongoing prosecution of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai.

In a statement signed yesterday by its secretary-general, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, the NSCIA said it had deliberately refrained from commenting on the case involving El-Rufai and other political figures, having initially regarded the prosecution as part of the normal judicial process.

The council said it had previously maintained confidence in the judiciary’s ability to uphold justice, but recent developments in the public domain had prompted it to break its silence.

“Recent developments in the public domain have raised serious concerns that strongly suggest an extraneous involvement of an underlying religious bias against the former governor,” the statement said.

Against this backdrop, the NSCIA called on the federal government and the judiciary to ensure that public institutions and the legal system were not used to pursue what it described as a sectarian agenda against the former governor.

The Islamic body urged the authorities to prevent individuals with “vested religious interests” from weaponising state institutions or judicial processes against El-Rufai.

The Council also appealed to members of the public to avoid inflammatory statements that could undermine the former governor’s right to a fair trial or further worsen the country’s security situation.

“The Council calls upon the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Judiciary to ensure that individuals with vested religious interests are strictly prevented from weaponising public institutions or the legal system to execute a sectarian agenda against him,” it said.

The NSCIA stressed the need for justice not only to be delivered but also to be seen to be done, while calling for peace, stability and security across the country.