The leadership of Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’ah Wa Iqamatis Sunnah (JIBWIS), particularly the Jos-based faction, has suspended an Islamic cleric, Sheikh Alkali Abubakar Salihu Zaria, following remarks he made about Nigeria’s political leadership during a Ramadan sermon.
Sheikh Alkali had been invited to deliver the annual Ramadan Qur’anic exegesis (Tafsir) at Mokas Mosque in Damaturu, Yobe State.
However, his sessions drew controversy after he openly criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and several northern governors over what he described as their failure to curb worsening insecurity across the region.
Meeting With The Council
The decision to suspend the cleric reportedly came after a meeting organised by the National Chairman of the JIBWIS Council of Ulama, Sheikh Muhammad Sani Yahaya Jingir.
The meeting included the cleric himself along with representatives of the organisation from Yobe State at both the state and local levels.
During the discussion, Sheikh Alkali was accused of making harsh political statements that targeted prominent political figures, including President Tinubu.
According to the organisation’s leadership, his comments on governance and security issues did not align with the established approach and principles guiding JIBWIS preaching activities.
Ramadan Lectures
In one of his Ramadan lectures, the cleric condemned what he described as widespread corruption among political leaders and the inability of authorities, particularly in the North-West, to effectively confront banditry and kidnapping.
He lamented the plight of victims, describing how kidnappers abduct people and negotiate ransom payments with their families.
According to him, the captives are often subjected to severe abuse while their relatives struggle to raise money for their release.
“People are kidnapped today and treated like commodities,” he said during the sermon. “They are taken into the forest where their families are forced to bargain for their freedom.
Many of these abductors are ignorant, yet they brutalise their victims, even during the sacred month of Ramadan.”
The cleric also expressed concern about what he called the growing culture of fearing powerful individuals rather than fearing God.
“One of the signs of the calamities facing this generation,” he said, “is the way people show excessive reverence to individuals because they are afraid of their influence.
Look at how some state governors fear Tinubu more than they fear Allah.”
He further criticised what he portrayed as political bias within the ruling party, claiming that members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are treated favourably while opposition figures are often targeted with fabricated allegations.
“Once you belong to APC, you are treated like a saint,” he said. “But if you are in the opposition, you become a villain and may face false accusations.”
The Response
Following the announcement of his suspension, Sheikh Alkali responded calmly, saying he accepted the decision taken by the organisation’s leadership.
In a message shared on his Facebook page, he described Sheikh Muhammad Sani Yahaya Jingir as both a respected religious authority and a fatherly figure in his life.
He urged his supporters and associates to remain patient and disciplined, emphasising that the development was part of divine destiny.
“To my followers, relatives and associates, I ask you to remain calm,” he wrote. “This was destined to happen. No one can exceed the number of days Allah has decreed for them to lead the Ramadan Tafsir in Damaturu.”
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He concluded by encouraging his supporters to remain loyal and maintain good conduct, adding that whatever Allah decrees ultimately turns out to be the best for His servants.