The national leadership of Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’ah wa Iqamatis Sunnah (JIBWIS) has called on Rabiu Kwankwaso, a former governor of Kano state to apologize over the humiliation of Sheikh Isa Ibrahim Pantami, Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, by members of his Kwankwassiya movement.
Kano Focus reports that Pantami, who is also prominent Islamic Scholar, was booed, heckled and jostled on Tuesday by Mr Kwankwaso’s supporters at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airpot (MAKIA) in Kano, while he was returning to Abuja.
It was learnt that the minister came to Kano for a condolence visit to Sha’ban Ibrahim Sharada, a member of the House of Representatives who lost his father recently.
While he was about board a flight to Abuja, Sheikh Pantami met with a crowd of Kwankwassiya members, who were also at the airport, to see off the 242 students who were sponsored to India and Sudan for postgraduate studies by the Kwankwassiya Development Foundation.
Read Also:
It was gathered that upon seeing Pantami, some of the Kwankwassiya supporters started shouting ‘bamayi, bamayi’, meaning “we are not in support, we are not in support”, at him just as others pulled his clothing and bumped against him.
While the episode lasted, a particular youth was caught on camera, trying to force a red cap–a key symbol of the Kwankwassiya movement–on Pantami’s head from behind.
The minister has not yet responded to the incident.
However, in a statement, Sheikh Abdullahi Bala Lau, National Leader of JIBWIS, expressed sadness over the incident, saying the minister who has spent most of his life teaching the Qur’an and its interpretation, does not deserve the kind of humiliation meted to him.
Sheikh Lau also advised Mr Kwankwaso, leader of the Kwankwassiya to publicly apologize to Sheikh Pantami as well as to Nigerian Muslims for the behavior of his supporters, warning that Allah’s wrath awaits anyone who would dare to injure the dignity of an Islamic scholar, who are inheritors to prophets.
Our noble Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has told us that anyone who respects and upholds the dignity of scholars that memorize the noble Qur’an, has also respected and upheld the dignity of Allah. Also, the humiliating treatment meted to Pantami has also contravened Nigerian laws, because as a minister, he is a member of the Federal Executive Council (FEC),” he said.
