A steering mosque committee has suspended a controversial Islamic cleric, Sheikh Nuru Khalid, over a Juma’at sermon delivered on Friday, April 1st in Abuja, Federal capital territory.
Sheikh Nuru Khalid, popularly known as the “Digital Imam,” was, until his suspension, the chief Imam of Apo Juma’at Mosque in Abuja. He is well known for questioning leaders on issues bedeviling Nigerians.
His suspension, however, comes a day after the cleric criticized Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and Nigerian politicians for failing to fulfill the mandates and trust bestowed upon them by Nigerians.
The Sheikh challenged President Buhari to visit Kaduna to commensurate with the victims of the Abuja-Kaduna train attack, adding that the president is only interested in votes and campaign.
He further called on Nigerians to boycott the election and the process because he believes politicians cannot solve the issues bedeviling Nigerians.
He raised an alarm over the increase in killings, kidnappings, and bombardment of villages in northern Nigeria daily, pointing out that the security forces are not doing enough to stop the persisting killings.
Many Nigerian Muslims reacted angrily to the decision, calling it a way to silence clerics from telling the truth, especially during Ramadan Tafsir amid the campaign period.
The chairman of the mosque committee, Senator Sai’du Dansadau, stated that the suspension is in line with the guiding rules of preaching, which the Sheikh disobeyed while delivering a controversial sermon, mentoring voters on questioning politicians before voting.
