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." --------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 2000 Panafrican News Agency. All Rights Reserved. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------