Arrest religious clerics over inciting sermons – Cardinal Onaiyekan

The Archbishop of Abuja Archdiocese, John Cardinal Onaiyekan has called for the arrest of religious clerics who incite violence through their sermons.

He spoke Tuesday in Abuja during an interview with journalists on the sideline of a workshop on Preventing Violent Extremism in Nigeria.

The workshop organized by Club De Madrid in collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) focused on; Effective Narratives and Messaging.

Onaiyekan told journalists that: “in my own opinion there is enough in the law in Nigeria to curb reckless speaking, if somebody stands up on his pulpit in church and start inciting his members to go and kill others, He has committed a crime under the Nigerian Law, he should be arrested, which is not happening.”

He lamented that there was a tendency for security agencies to be afraid. “They would say if you touch religious leaders there would be backlash. Let the backlash come for goodness sake, so that we can get out of all this mess.”

He noted that plenty of work needs to be done to counter the terrorism narratives at the grass root, adding that Boko Haram did not spring up and start shooting on the first day.

He said the group organized over some time and the content of their preaching was identified by many people as not in the right direction but nobody felt they had the responsibility to engage them.

He said, “We must learn from our past mistake, while we defend freedom of worship and freedom of speech, there is obviously a limit as to how far you can carry your freedom.”

He lamented that, “Who is a religious leader in Nigeria, you can drop your microphone today and tomorrow you become a pastor, if you are a Muslim, you can become an Imam.”

“In Nigeria, we are free, because of that people claim to be bishops, Imams and religious leaders, they say whatever they like and they are not responsible to anybody,” he stated.

With religious leaders joining in the calls against inciting sermons, which was started by the Sultan of Sokoto and Leader of Muslims in Nigeria, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, now joined by the Catholic Arcbishop of Abuja Diocese, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, the Muhammadu Buhari administration is having good time normalising peaceful co-existence among adherents of various religious groups particularly of Muslims and Christians in Nigeria.