Respected Lagos-based Islamic scholar, Sheikh Dhikrullah Shafii’ will tonight, Wednesday, March 30, shelve his weekly fatwa programme (Al-Fatwa) to offer prayers for the victims of the recent fatal train attack that happened along the Abuja-Kaduna rail.
No fewer than 8 persons have been confirmed dead from the Monday attack where it was reported that the terrorists, numbering hundreds deployed explosives in wreaking havoc on the moving train.
Sheikh Shafii’ who is an Imam (Spiritual Leader) of The Muslim Congress (TMC) and Mufti of the Conference of Islamic Organisations (CIO) will lead thousands of his followers across the world in a special prayer session over the incident in place of his usual lecture series, Al-Fatwa, where he attends to Islamic jurisprudential matters every Wednesday at 8:30pm on his official Facebook page.
In a chat with Muslim News ahead of the special session, Sheikh Shafii’ called on the federal government to secure the lives and property of every Nigerian, as he urged Nigerians to provide the security agencies with relevant information that will prevent future disasters.
“The Monday train attack in Kaduna is another pointer to the insecure state of Nigeria. Insecurity and economic instability are two major problems we are contending with in the country. Though government is making strident efforts to secure the country, the truth is that they are not enough.
“Our losses are too numerous when we count them vis-a-vis lives, property and many others. Therefore, we have to continue to call on the government, especially the federal government to up their ante. The state governments should also complement these efforts”, he noted.
On the role of the citizens, Sheikh Shafii said, “although the attack is unfortunate, there is also a need for the citizens to be helpful to the government in the war against insecurity.
“The criminal elements causing havoc in the country are a tiny minority. We the responsible citizens must be ready to provide useful information to the government and authorities.
“When we notice anything strange in our communities, we should immediately stand up against it and reach out to the authorities.
“We must also check our individual families to ensure we are producing responsible members of the society.
Sheikh Shafii’ didn’t forget to explain the responsibility of religious leaders (both Muslims and Christians) in the fight against terrorism and banditry.
“Scholars of both religions also have a duty to sensitise their various followers. And then, we cannot undermine the place of prayer in this whole chaos. Tonight, we will pray for the victims and sensitise our members,” he added.
