HURIWA to CJN, Muhammad Tanko: Don’t start religious conflict

Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has decried
the silence of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Muhammad Tanko, over
alleged desecration of court by the Department of State Services
(DSS) but was more focused on instigating possible religious
conflict by advocating full Sharia law in the Nigerian
constitution.

HURIWA in a statement yesterday called on the National Judicial
Council to sack Tanko from office before he plunges the nation into
religious conflicts with his self-centered campaign for Sharia law
to be included fully in the Constitution and to be taught in Arabic
Language in universities.

The position of the body which was signed by the National
Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media
Affairs Director, Miss. Zainab Yusuf, urged the National Judicial
Council (NJC) to call the Chief Justice to order and stop
overheating the polity in the guise of promoting his attachment to
his religion or get him removed from office for his negligence of
duty by failing to defend judicial integrity, judicial independence
and the Principle of Separation of Powers

HURIWA also accused the Chief Justice of Nigeria of playing
religious politics by seeking to undermine section 10 of the
constitution upon which Nigeria has been erected on a
pro-democratic platform of secular or multi religious entity.

HURIWA said the religiously motivated campaign by the holder of
the Chief Justice of Nigeria deploying public fund to carry out
such a private religious assignment was an impeachable offence and
tantamount to institutionalising impunity and lawlessness by the
ministers in the supposed temple of justice.

“The Chief Justice of Nigeria should not and must not be allowed
to use his national office to drum up support for his private
religious codes even against the fact that he swore an oath of
allegiance to the constitution before he became Nigeria’s Chief
Justice of Nigeria and not Chief Justice of Sharia law. Why has
Justice Muhammad Tanko suddenly become the chief Islamic warrior of
Sharia law? Nigerians at this point in time cannot afford another
over heated environment like we had in the late 1970’s when the
first attempt was made as is been suggested by the current Chief
Justice of Nigeria which the campaign for full sharia by the Chief
Justice of Nigeria is capable of igniting religious conflicts
amongst diverse religious groups including African Traditional
Religionists, Christians, and Atheists.

“We thereby call on the Chief Justice of Nigeria to resign from
office so he can fully concentrate on carrying out his private
religious project of campaigning for full Sharia. He should leave
public office so he can very well set up his non-governmental
office to raise his resources to execute his mandate which favours
only adherents of his own religion. He is the Chief Justice of
Nigeria who should defend the Constitution and work for free,
egalitarian society whereby equality of rights are promoted and
protected.”

Also, the Rights group criticized the Chief Justice of Nigeria
for calling for the teaching of sharia law in Arabic Language as if
Nigeria is an Arabic nation.

The Rights group said it was shameful that at a time the
integrity, independence and respectability of the court system in
Nigeria had been rubbished by the executive arm of government, the
chief Justice who should defend the judiciary is busy chasing
religious shadowy programme of making Nigeria a sharia or Islamic
state even when this was clearly unconstitutional.

“Was Muhammad Tanko away from the Planet Earth that he isn’t
aware that armed State Security Services operatives chased out a
judge of the Federal High Court Ijeoma Ojukwu in the nation’s
capital and re-arrested a citizen who was granted bail and indeed
released earlier by the same misbehaving SSS?

“HURIWA is shocked that Justice Ibrahim Tanko-Muhammad, Chief
Justice of Nigeria, CJN, on Wednesday reportedly advocated for
teaching of Sharia law in Nigerian universities in Arabic Language.
We are shocked and disappointed that he made the remark while
declaring open the 20th Annual Judges Conference held at the
Faculty of Law Moot Court, Kongo Campus of Ahmadu Bello University,
ABU, Zaria, Kaduna State.”

HURIWA accused the Chief Justice of Nigeria of attempting to
re-ignite religious crises by stating that Muslims should be blamed
for their lukewarm attitude towards moving the Sharia forward in
Nigeria, advising that there should for a change of attitude to
propel Sharia to certain level of advancement even as he recalled
that since the issue of Sharia was introduced in Nigeria, there was
no meaningful progress up to today, saying that “while others are
moving, the Sharia is not moving in this country.”