Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, has warned Islamic clerics using their pulpits to incite people of the state to desist from testing the will of the government.
The governor said nobody, including himself, is above the government and its laws, TG News reports.
He gave the warning when the Emir of Bauchi, Dr. Rilwanu Sulaimanu Adamu, and other traditional title holders of Bauchi Emirate Council paid him Sallah homage at the Government House, Bauchi.
He said recent sermons by some of the clerics have become issues of national discourse which have projected the state in bad light.
The governor said his administration was doing everything possible to address the issue administratively by the relevant laws of the land, adding that all indicted parties would be given a fair hearing.
Mohammed said he was consulting with the state Chief Judge and Grand Khadi on the appropriate measures the state government should take to tackle cases of incitement by the Islamic preachers without suppressing the people’s fundamental rights.
Governor Mohammed said no government would fold its arms and watch a few individuals or groups stretch their will to the limit.
In his remarks, the Emir of Bauchi commended the governor for the visible development he has brought to the state in the last four years and appealed for more infrastructural developments, particularly in rural communities.
The royal father then prayed for peace, unity, love and tranquillity in Bauchi State in particular and Nigeria in general, assuring that traditional rulers in the state would continue to play positive roles in the scheme of things.
In the last few days, Sheikh Idris Abdulaziz came under heavy criticism for uttering some words deemed blasphemous by many people.
