“Shiites do not recognize Buhari as President”

Mallam El-Rufai Governor of Kaduna state Nasir El-Rufai has blamed the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) popularly known as Shiites for refusing to recognise the main law of Nigeria.

Vanguard reports that El-Rufai said Shiites have denied recognising Muhammadu Buhari as the president of the country.

The governor says the state received the report of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry that looked into the clashes between the IMN and army which concluded that the IMN poses a threat to the peace, security and good governance of Kaduna state.

“The IMN does not recognize the constitution of Nigeria, they do not recognize Buhari as president of Nigeria, they do not recognize me as the Governor of Kaduna state.

Because they have their governor, yes, they had, I think he was killed during the clash,” he said.

According to him, the IMN apart from being an illegal religious organization was in the habit of harassing and intimidating members of the public with impunity for several years.

Explaining why he had to move against the movement El-Rufai said the IMN was operating illegally and was moving towards insurgency.

He added that IMN leader, Sheikh Ibraheem El Zakzaky was not practising the doctrine of Shiism but was gathering enough members in order to stage an Iranian-type Islamic revolution in Nigeria.

“Because they do not recognize any law in Nigeria, IMN is not registered with Corporate Affairs Commission.

So, they cannot be sued or held responsible for their actions. They build anywhere they find land, they do not even bother to apply for land titles,’’ he added.