Sectarian Tension Grips Northern Nigerian City

February 22, 2000

Paul Ejime
PANA Correspondent

LAGOS, Nigeria (PANA) - Anxiety still reigned Tuesday in Nigeria's northern
city of Kaduna following Monday's violent clashes between Christians and
Moslems over the planned introduction of the Islamic Sharia legal system in
the state.

At least 20 people have been reported dead and several others injured, while
several churches and mosques were set ablaze in the mayhem, which prompted
the state authorities to impose a night curfew on the city.

Christians under the umbrella of the Christian Association of Nigeria were
reported to have staged a peaceful march to the state house in protest at
the government's plan to introduce the Sharia administrative and legal
systems.

But trouble reportedly erupted when the march was interrupted by those
believed to be Moslem youths.

This led to clashes between adherents of the two popular religions in
different parts of the city, resulting in the deaths and substantial
destruction of property, including churches, mosques and shops.

Many people were said to have fled their homes and sought refuge from the
violence, despite security assurances by the state government.

The two groups, meantime, continue to accuse each other of provoking the
violence.

An official of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Saidu Dogo, alleged
that Moslem youths started the violence by stoning the Christians thereby
disrupting what he called "a peaceful protest," similar to what the Moslems
have been staging for several days in the state in support of Sharia, but
without any molestation.

The state's deputy governor, Stepen Shekari, warned that government would
not condone any act of lawlessness.

He explained that the government had yet to take a decision on Sharia.

Religion is a sensitive subject in multi-religious and ethnically-diverse
Nigeria, which is secular by constitution.

The sectarian temperature has, however, been raised since the northern state
of Zamfara blazed the trail in October by being the first in the
36-federated states to launch the religious administrative system, which
prescribes severe punishments such as caning in public and amputation of
limbs for offences such as drunkenness, adultery and prostitution.

The issue has stoked a grave national controversy, eliciting strong protest
from non-Moslems, particularly, Christians, who predominate the south of the
country.

On the other hand, several other northern states have announced their
intention to follow the Zamfara example.

The move poses a grave challenge for Nigeria's young democracy, headed by
born-again Christian President Olusegun Obasanjo, who says the introduction
of Sharia as a state religion is unconstitutional.

But so far nobody or group has taken up the challenge of testing the
legality of the Zamfara action by taking the Sharia matter to court.

Meanwhile, the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Maccido, the supreme head of
Moslems in Nigeria, has appealed for restraint over the sensitive issue.

Maccido, the president of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs in
Nigeria, warned in a statement Monday night that unless the Kaduna situation
was handled with caution, the violence could spread to other parts of the
country.

"The Kaduna incidence," the cleric said, "is a dangerous and a very serious
threat to peace and unity of this great nation."

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