Group Seeks Arrest, Prosecution Of Sheikh Jingir Over Hate Speech

A Christian advocacy organisation, RID Nigeria, has demanded the immediate arrest and prosecution of Sheikh Sani Yahaya Jingir, the national chairman of JIBWIS, over his public labelling of Christians as “infidels” during a mass wedding in Kano on August 9, 2026.

Ten days after the remarks he made before sitting governors, no arrest or invitation for questioning has been issued by security agencies, despite clear legal provisions criminalising such speech.

Sheikh Jingir has told BBC Hausa that he had no regrets and would not apologise.

In a statement issued to LEADERSHIP Friday by RID Nigeria executive director, Alex Adekunle James, the organisation condemned what it described as selective enforcement of the law.

It noted that Jingir’s remarks violated the Constitution, the Cybercrimes Act and the Terrorism Prevention Act.

The National Human Rights Commission similarly called for Jingir’s arrest over a week ago, yet no action has been taken.

The group cited documented double standards in Nigerian law enforcement, pointing to the imprisonment of Mubarak Bala and Yahaya Sharif-Aminu over statements far less inflammatory than Jingir’s, as well as the swift prosecution of Omoyele Sowore and a Rivers State man over social media posts critical of President Tinubu.

The organisation argued that if private citizens face prosecution within days for online comments, a cleric who publicly brands an entire religious community “infidels” before state governors cannot be met with official silence.

The group warned that in the context of religious violence in Nigeria’s North and Middle Belt, Jingir’s rhetoric serves as kindling, and government inaction signals to extremists that such speech carries no consequence.

The organisation demanded that security agencies immediately invite Jingir for questioning, that the Attorney-General direct his prosecution under applicable laws, that Jingir issue a public apology to Christians and non-Muslim Nigerians, and that President Tinubu condemn the remarks.

James concluded that Nigeria has no state religion and every citizen is entitled to equal protection of the law, insisting that his organisation will not accept a standard of justice that jails ordinary citizens while prominent clerics walk free.