A Muslim cleric, Sanusi Abubakar, who called for the killing of First Lady Remi Tinubu, has reached out to the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), retracted his words, and apologized.
Abubakar, who claimed to be an Islamic scholar, contacted MURIC and withdrew his outrageous, aggressive, and misguided appeal to assassinate President Bola Tinubu’s wife.
Malam Hassan Sani Indabawa, Chairman of MURIC’s Kano State Chapter, stated on Tuesday that the MURIC headquarters condemned and rejected the cleric in a statement issued on Friday, the same day he made the call.
He stated that in a two-minute, 24-second video tape transmitted to the Sokoto chapter of MURIC on Monday, February 26, 2024, Abubakar renounced his provocative words, which were capable of causing mayhem, social conflagration, and religious turmoil of unknown dimensions.
Commenting on the video clip, Malam Indabawa said, “The man realized his egregious gaffe by reaching out to MURIC to register the withdrawal of his wild call by agreeing with MURIC that his teachings are misleading, his claims are false, and his extremist views are capable of pushing some ignorant youths into unnecessary violence.
“The man further admitted that his claims were un-Islamic and without any basis in Islam.
“He claimed to have been driven by political considerations and had made the wild statement during the 2023 presidential campaigns, thus exposing how some Nigerians are being influenced by desperate and unscrupulous politicians who sponsor misguided elements to propagate hate and divisive politics on the pulpit.”
Malam Indabawa urged Muslim and Christian leaders in Nigeria to investigate the involvement of some clerics in partisan politics and devise ways and means of regulating their sermons and preaching to avoid hate campaigns, rather than encouraging them to promote understanding and peaceful coexistence.
Recall that Abubakar, also identified as Idris Tenshi, in a sermon, described Mrs. Tinubu as an “infidel” who should be killed.
Speaking in Hausa, Tenshi reportedly said, “Tinubu’s wife is an unbeliever, and even among the unbelievers, she is a leader.
“She is among those that Allah has instructed us to kill because she is among the leaders of the unbelievers.”
Individuals and groups across the country condemned his views, including the Youth Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (YOWICAN), which called for his arrest and prosecution.
However, in a new video, Tenshi stated, “I would like to pass this message to Nigerians regarding a video I did that is circulating on social media. All the things I said were mistakes, and I don’t stand by the words I said. Other clerics have given me a proper explanation of the verse that I quoted.
“As a human being, I am prone to making mistakes. I am apologising to Her Excellency, Remi Tinubu, for the comments I made and for taking back the words I said.
“I am also apologizing to Nigerians because she (Mrs. Tinubu) is like a mother to us. The season of politics is over. I made those comments during the time the campaigns were taking place.
“Now that God has given Tinubu power, we have no other option than to support him and wish him and his family well. Whoever felt offended by the things I said, I am sorry.”
