Connect with us

Opinion

Jangebe:Jauxtaposed Between Jinx And Jeopardy

Published

on

 

 

By Bala Ibrahim.

Less than two weeks after the abduction of 42 students from a secondary school in Kagara, Niger State, reports filtered in that more than 300 students of Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe, Zamfara, were kidnapped last night, Thursday 25/02/2021. According to the BBC, a resident of Jangebe, who gave his name as Halliru Jangebe, told the News Agency of Nigeria that local vigilantes tried but failed to repel the invaders.

“The bandits were too many and they all seemed to be carrying heavy arms as we heard gunshots from all parts of the town and when the shots stopped, we heard that the students had been taken away,”

Zamfara Govt.Confirms Abduction Of 300 School Girls

For the parents of these children, and the residents of Jangebe, this is a tragedy of unimaginable magnitude, and probably only tragedy number two in recent history. Tragedy number one, which may even justify the query of whether Jangebe is jinxed, dates back to the beginning of last decade, when the name Jangebe became notoriously prominent.

Although Jangebe is a town with an ancient history in Zamfara state, north-western Nigeria, the name of the town gained popularity in the year 2000, due to the notoriety of one of it’s own, Buba Jangebe, who made history as the first Nigerian to have his limbs amputated as a result of theft, since the return of the country to the rule of democracy.

After the re-introduction of the sharia law in 1999 by the government of zamfara state, and based on the admission of guilt by Buba Jangebe, that he trespassed into a house and stole a bull, with a market value of about N368,000 today, a judge in the state ordered that he should have his right wrist amputated.

The sentence was ordered to be carried out on a market day, for members of the public to witness, and in order for it to serve as deterrence to others. Although Abubakar was given the right to appeal against the sentence, but despite the widespread international condemnation of the amputation judgement, he refused to appeal against it.

To the advocates of Human Rights, it was an act of mutilation, that is synonymous with a jeopardy, and runs in conflict with dignity.

Buba Jangebe openly admitted his guilt and proudly accepted the harsh punishment, in consideration for his criminal activity. After all, as he continued to tell the public at the time, the Islamic intention is to discourage individuals from committing the crime of theft, and as a Muslim, who believes in the provisions of the sharia law, he accepted his fate as something ordained by God.

Whether or not that punishment has helped to deter others from committing similar, or graver offenses in Jangebe is another issue altogether, but the tragedy of last night, and the consequences of it’s attendant distress, have combined to cast a question on where Jangebe stands, if juxtaposed between jinx and jeopardy.

To underscore the gravity of how bad insecurity has become in Nigeria generally and zamfara state in particular, about two months ago, some 340 students were abducted from a secondary school in Kankara, Katsina state and transported to Zamfara state. The abductors, who rode on motorbikes, put together all the boys in the school, matching them through the bush into the Rugu forest in the neighboring Zamfara state. While the wound of that jinx is yet to heal, then came the jeopardy of last night.

The Jangebe tragedy is particularly embarrassing because of its timing, having come at the time when the Governors of the 19 Nothern States and traditional rulers of the region are meeting in Kaduna over the security challenges bedevilling the region, with special emphasis on the Kankara and Kagara school abductions.

Media reports are saying that the two-day meeting, which opened on Thursday, is also being attended by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawal, Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari and Information Minister, Lai Mohammed. Others in attendance are the National Security Adviser, Maj.-Gen. Mohammed Monguno rtd, Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu and the Director General, State Security Service, Yusuf Bichi.

Also embarassing is the evident failure of Sheikh Ahmad Gumi’s shuttle of diplomacy with the bandits. The Sheik had promised to help in stopping banditry and other criminal acts among the nomads, where, under circumstances that are viewed with scepticism by the critics, the Sheik recently visited the bandit’s hideouts in Zamfara state, and reportedly got the commitment of about 500 of them into repentance, some of whom are from Jangebe.

But alas, the attack of last night, has come to cast aspersion on the genuineness of the mission, the sincerity of the Sheik, as well as the devotion and dedication of the bandits, by asking for the position of Jangebe, when juxtaposed between jinx and jeopardy.

#

Opinion

Izala Sect: Crisis of Leadership, Accusations of Shiism Meddle in Polarising Its Members, History Repeats Itself

Published

on

 

By Yakubu Nasiru Khalid

Formally, the Izala sect was formed in 1978, created to eradicate innovation (bid’a) within the Islamic doctrine. It has a modern structure and leadership both at the state and national levels. Therefore, the leadership of the Izala has come with a well-structured and hierarchical bureau and the feeling that they are different from who they see as the “Conservative Islamic Group.”

The structure comprises three arms: the Council of Ulama, the Administrative Council, and The First Aid Group. Each of the councils has its own head and followers to achieve designed goals. Even with this structure, the sect experienced crises at both levels, which polarised its leadership.

The reasons attached to the polarisation of Izala at the national level later descended to many states where the organization has a large following. The reasons were multifaceted, from jurisprudence, political, financial, and external meddling to sundry issues.

Initially, there was a problem regarding the leadership of the organization, especially the question of who was the supreme leader of the organization between the Administrative Council and the chairman of the Ulama Council. At the time, the head of the Administrative Council was Alhaji Musa Muhammad Maigandu, from Kaduna, and Sheikh Ismail Idris was the chairman of the Ulama Council, Jos faction recognized Ismail Idris.

#

The Jos faction rejected Maigandu for not being a scholar but a businessman, arguing that an Islamic organization should be led by a scholar, not a businessman. This added more fire to the crisis.

Furthermore, the Kaduna faction was very critical of some views and fatwas of Ismail Idris, especially those that dealt with the issue of bid’a. According to Ismail Idris, the followers of Izala would not pray behind an Imam who’s not a member of Izala, they would also not marry from the family of a person who inclined to Sufism and would not eat the meat of an animal slaughtered by a follower of the Sufi group.

The Kaduna faction was outrightly against these views and opposed them. Another vital factor that played a role in the split of the Izala group was the accusations and counter-accusations of financial management. Ismail Idris was accused of organizing in the Arab countries, and he was further accused of personalizing vehicles donated to the Izala sect.

In addition, Ben Amara argued that the eruption of the Gulf War in the 1990s between the USA and Iraq was another important factor in the polarisation of the Izala. The Jos faction supported the American invasion of Iraq because of the Saudi Arabian interest, while Kaduna supported Iraq. The Jos faction called Kaduna “Saddamawa” meaning (supporters of Saddam) while Kaduna called Jos “Bushawa” meaning (supporters of American interest).

The leadership of the Jos faction blamed Shia for the internal crisis of Izala and accused some Ulama of being secret agents of Shiism who were working toward dismantling the group.

yakubunasirukhalid@gmail.com

 

Continue Reading

Opinion

Gov. Yusuf’s executive order extending retirement age for HoS, Kano Assembly Clerk, and others unconstitutional

Published

on

 

Sani Usman-DanAbdullo, a Director of Admin and General Services at the Kano State Agency for the Control of Aids, KSACA, has written to the state assembly, seeking its intervention in the
Executive Order issued by Governor Abba Yusuf.

Mr DanAbdullo, in a petition dated January 6 and addressed to Speaker of the Assembly, Jibrin Ismail Falgore, recalled that the governor had in January 2025 issued Executive Order No. 1 of 2025, extending the service period of some civil servants.

According to him, the governor extended the service year of the Head of Service, Assembly Clerk, some judicial officers, Permanent Secretaries and a host of other staff in the state health sector for 2 years after they were due for retirement as of December 2024.

The lawyer also recalled that the state assembly had enacted a law fixing the retirement of staff at 60 years of age or 35 years of service, depending on whichever comes first.

Mr DanAbdullo, therefore, asserted that the governor’s executive order was unconstitutional, “since the House has already made laws which the order seeks to alter”.

He noted that that executive order is not meant to alter, amend, modify or expand the law made by the legislature.

“This act, is, therefore, a clear violation of the principles of rule of law and separation of powers enshrined in our Constitution being not only a clear attempt to usurp the legislative powers of this Honourable House, but to contradict the existing laws already enacted by it in exercise of its powers as such,” the petition added.

While dismissing a claim that the governor issued the order in the spirit of the Doctrine of Necessity, Mr DanAbdullo said there was no justification for extending the service years of the affected retired officers since there are many competent hands with adequate qualifications to be appointed.

“And as for the staff in the health sector, they can be retained on contract arrangement in line with the existing service law of Kano State,” the petition added.

Mr DanAbdullo, therefore, warned that the provisions of the Constitution must not be subordinated to any other law, and must not be subjected to the indignity of deletion of any section or part thereof.

“In view of the foregoing, I urge this esteemed House to employ all legal mechanism at its disposal to overrule the Governor’s decision in the act complained of, which is capable of setting a very dangerous precedent that will ruin the entire public service system of our dear State, if allowed.

“TAKE NOTICE Sir, this act of indiscriminate issuance of executive order, if allowed, will cause the entire Kano State the following catastrophic effects,”

The State Assembly failed to attend to the petition even if it means dismissing it for fear of the governor, if the petition is not attended to we will have no option but to go to court”. He added

#

Continue Reading

Opinion

The Movement (Tafiyar Matasa) and the Very Big Questions to Answer

Published

on

Comr. Habu Hassan Abdullahi

Comr. Habu Hassan Abdullahi

Yes, I am not some sort of social critic who would unfairly denigrate someone’s achievement for personal gain or political interest that I do not have. Thus, this is pre-eminently the right time to speak the truth to the members of my generation in Nigeria whether they care to accept it or not. But remember the truth is always truth and can stand alone.

No doubt that not everyone is happy with how leadership is running in this country, with the exception of those at the corridor of power. But this is not enough to be a raison d’etre to handle our dear nation to the hands of inexperienced youths. Forgive my pen for the use of “inexperienced”. Just because most of them have never been to real leadership. Of course, I am myself opposed to the exclusionary habit of the present politicians, they’ve relegated youths to the mantle of power but we have to cautiously control our faculty of thinking to avoid getting entangled in a lust for power.

I was very happy when I heard the idea of “The Movement” known as “Tafiyar Matasa” in the Hausa language. And of course, the genesis of the movement was attributed to the unavoidable “EndBadGovernance” protest of 1st August, 2024. The movement began immediately after the protest, in fact, it is one of the noticeable outcomes of the protest due to the unity it brought. The idea of the movement was preached and promoted by some prominent northern activists and social media influencers to serve as a last resort to the youths in their effort to bring good governance. No one can deny the fact this is a laudable effort. But the very big question supposed to be asked here is: youthfulness is the only parameter and yardstick to measure the caliber of a good leader? If yes, why Yahaya Bello (Former Governor of Kogi) and Abdurrasheeed Bawa (former EFCC Boss) were arraigned for looting the public treasury! The point I want to make here is, being young or old will not be a determining factor for an individual to be a good leader. We can have corrupt leaders within any range of age.

Another important issue to take into cognizance is the failure of some youths to comprehend the logic and existing distinction between being a good activist and being a good leader. Leadership is quite different from activism, therefore, a good activist may not necessarily be a good leader. It is common knowledge that the conveners of this important movement lack practical leadership acumen and organizational skills that are fundamental for successful leadership. Okay, should we handle our future to the trial and error leaders? We have to exercise extraordinary care when it comes to leadership.

#

Yet another problem faced by this movement is financial constraints. To be sincere and frank, the quantum resources required to run a great national political movement like this oversizes the pockets of the conveners. Another organic question to ask here is: where the movement conveners can solicit humongous financial resources? From the politicians they are castigating? If yes, this is performative contradiction!

Finally, I would like to remind my fellow youths that new breed, as the late Yusuf Maitama said, cannot solve the Nigerian problem. There must be mutual cooperation and understanding between the new breed and old breed. We must work together with them to acquire all necessary experience, knowledge, and practical leadership skills.

Written by
Comr. Habu Hassan Abdullahi
From Bayero University, Kano
Department of Education
Contact via 07065941454 or habu92hassan@gmail.com

 

Continue Reading

Trending