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Clerics To Muslim Faithful: Return Looted Goods In Your Possession For Eid -El – Maulud Celebration Sake

Published

5 years ago

October 29, 2020

Muslim Ummahs who partook in the looting of government and individuals’ properties during the #EndSARS protest have been urged to return all the goods in their possession in the spirit of the Eid – El- Maulud celebration.

Eid – El- Maulud is a celebration by Muslims to commemorate the birthday of Prophet Muhammad.

Muslim clerics, Ibrahim Oyarekhua, chairman, Edo State Muslim Pilgrims Board, and Nurudeen Asunogie, while making the calls in a telephone interview, said those who participated in the looting could only get the rewards of the celebration if only they return the looted goods in their possessions.

The duo who enjoined Muslim faithful to emulate the virtues of integrity, honesty and piety, as epitomized by the Prophet, further urged non-Muslim involved in the act to also do the same by returning goods in their possessions.

The clerics, while condemning the attack, destruction of public and private institutions’ properties in the country, however called on the government to put in place policies to entrench good governance in the country.

Speaking Ibrahim Oyarekhua, who said the #EndSARS protest started peacefully in the country, condemned the way and manner hoodlums hijacked it.

Oyarekhua, opined that many Nigerians believe that the protest would have been able to unite the country against bad leadership.

“We don’t believe that Muslims would have participated in this unwholesome act, and, if they were, and for some of them to have looted whatever they have looted either small or big, the earlier they return the goods to where they looted them, the better for them.

“If they think nobody, saw them when they looted the goods, it will be a burden on them on the day of judgment.

“Whatever they have looted and if they refused to return them now, God the Almighty will surely request for those things from them on the last day, to account for it and if not, they will be punished.

“Muslims do not take what does not rightly belong to them. If you take what does not belong to you, you must return before you seek for repentance,” he stated.

On his part, Nurudeen Asunogie, said government needs to address the imbalance between the have and the have not in the society.

“I want to remind the Muslim Ummahs that there is absolutely nothing unique about celebrating the birthday of Prophet Muhammad (PUBH) if we are not going to adorn ourselves on the virtues of integrity, honesty and sacrifice which the prophet epitomizes.

“I think, generally, we need to address the imbalance in the society because the divides is rather too wide between the have and the have not.

“Those who do not have constitute a very terrible and frightening majority. So, they will also drown those who have caused the state resources to coagulate around themselves.

“I also think government should bring about fair distribution of wealth in the country,” he added.

While urging all those involved in the wanton destruction, looting of public and private institutions’ properties in the country to seek for sincere repentance from Allah, he noted that destruction and stealing of other people’s property are aliens to Islam.

Asunogie noted that once a Muslim deviated from the commands of Allah, he or she becomes irrelevant in the scheme of things in this world and in the hereafter.

“Society is created along two lines. These are the evil and good. If you are not a thief there is no way in the first place you would have destroyed and looted government and private property.

“It is crime. If they escape punishment in this world, they will not in the hereafter, except they sincerely repent and return whatever is in their possessions.

“If there is nothing with them, they should seek forgiveness from those who have suffered in the cause of their actions.

“If they do not, on the last day, they will be carrying the burden for which they will regret endlessly because it has no justification under any guise,” he added.

News

JUST IN: Insecurity: Tinubu Suspends Trip To G20, AU-EU Summit

Published

34 minutes ago

November 19, 2025

Editor

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has put off his scheduled trip to Johannesburg, South Africa and Luanda, Angola, as he awaits further security briefings on the kidnapped Kebbi schoolgirls and the attack on Christ Apostolic Church worshippers in Eruku, Kwara State.

This was contained in a statement released by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Wednesday in Abuja.

The statement said Tinubu has ordered the deployment of more security operatives to Eruku and the entire Ekiti Local Government Area of the state, and directed the police to go after the bandits who attacked worshippers.

The President Tinubu was scheduled to leave Abuja on Wednesday to attend the 20th G20 Summit of leaders in South Africa and thereafter proceed to Luanda to attend the 7th AU-EU Summit.

“Disturbed by the security breaches in Kebbi State and Monday’s attack by bandits against worshippers at Christ Apostolic Church, Eruku, President Tinubu decided to suspend his departure.

“He now awaits reports from Vice President Kashim Shettima, who paid a sympathetic visit to Kebbi on his behalf, as well as reports from the police and the Department of State Services regarding the attack in Kwara,” the statement said.

According to the statement, the President reiterated his directive to the security agencies to do everything possible to rescue the 24 schoolgirls abducted by the bandits and bring the girls back home safe.

News

IPF Holds Annual Ijaw Media Conference December

Published

14 hours ago

November 19, 2025

Editor

The Ijaw Publishers’ Forum has announced the second edition of its annual Ijaw Media Conference.

The conference themed “Safeguarding Oil and Gas Natural Resources for Future Generations in the Niger Delta” will take place on December 11, 2025, at KFT Place, beginning at 12 noon.

In a statement signed by the IPF National President, Comrade Ozobo Austin, the Forum noted that the conference is intended to strengthen public understanding of the dangers of oil theft, unchecked exploitation, and environmental pollution.

The statement highlighted the severe harm these practices inflict on the region, affecting both ecological systems and human communities and hindering long-term development.

The 2025 planning committee, chaired by Arex Akemotubo, has Tare Magbei as Secretary. The committee is charged with the responsibility of a successful programme.

Other members of the committee are:
Francis Abai, Financial Secretary while
Ezekiel Kagbala, Sunday Daniel; Mike Ugedi, Dr Kegbe, Sam Dogitimi,
Tam Okumbiri, serve as members.

The Forum urged leaders, stakeholders, and young people to work with relevant authorities and security groups to support continued public awareness efforts aimed at protecting the region’s natural resources and the wellbeing of its inhabitants.

The IPF also called for sponsorship and invites all stakeholders and the wider public to attend the conference on December 11, 2025

News

2027: Era Of ‘Ghost’ Voters Over, Says INEC Chairman

Published

21 hours ago

November 18, 2025

Editor

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, has declared that identity theft and multiple voting, which have plagued Nigeria’s elections for decades, have been effectively eliminated following the deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS.

Amupitan made the declaration in Abuja at the 2025 Digital Nigeria International Conference and Exhibitions organised by the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by his Chief Press Secretary, Dayo Oketola, the INEC Chairman said BVAS had now become a decisive tool in protecting the integrity of votes ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Represented by a National Commissioner, May Agbamuche Mbu, the INEC Chairman said the era of identity fraud in Nigeria’s elections is over, noting that BVAS has evolved into a foolproof verification mechanism at polling units across the country.

“The BVAS device has become our frontline defence against identity fraud, ensuring that only the rightful and eligible voter can be accredited at the polling unit..

“With the biometric safeguards now in place, voter impersonation has been effectively eliminated from our electoral system,” he stated.

He backed the claim with data from the recently concluded Anambra Governorship Election, where 6,879 BVAS devices deployed for the exercise recorded what he described as a highly commendable performance.

According to him, more than 99 percent of polling unit results were uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing portal on the same day as voting.

“These outcomes confirm that the deployment of BVAS and IReV is no longer experimental but an entrenched part of Nigeria’s electoral architecture. The figure announced at the polling units is the same figure visible to the public. Technology has safeguarded the vote,” he said.

Amupitan also stressed the importance of the legal backing now enjoyed by the Commission’s technological tools.

He explained that while earlier innovations lacked statutory enforcement, the Electoral Act 2022, particularly Section 47 subsection 2, transformed digital devices from administrative guidelines into what he described as statutorily protected pillars of the electoral system.

“This legislative foundation ensures that our digital tools have both operational and legal legitimacy. It has strengthened public trust and enabled the Commission to innovate with confidence,” he added.

Despite the progress, the INEC Chairman admitted that connectivity gaps remain a major challenge.

He said the country’s 176,846 polling units, many of which are located in swamps, mountains, and remote communities, make real-time transmission of results one of the most difficult tasks during elections.

He, however, ruled out any possibility of returning to manual accreditation, which he described as vulnerable to human interference and a threat to electoral credibility.

Amupitan maintained that the era of ghost voters in Nigeria is over, insisting that the Commission is committed to transparent, verifiable, and credible elections.

“The gains we have recorded are too significant to reverse. The Commission will continue to strengthen the system and upgrade to more seamless solutions in future elections,” he said.

“Our mission is simple. Every eligible voter must be accurately verified. Every vote must be properly counted. Every result must be transparently shared. Technology has helped us to secure these foundations of democracy.”