The Youth Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (YOWICAN) has demanded the immediate arrest and public prosecution of Muslim Cleric Idris Abdulaziz Dusen Tenshi.
This demand was made at the conclusion of the 2024 National Prayer Day and the 1st Quarter National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of YOWICAN, held at the National Christian Centre in Abuja, on Friday.
Tenshi was accused of inciting violence by calling for the killing of Senator Oluremi Tinubu, the wife of the President, labeling her an “infidel” due to her Christian faith.
Earlier, the former Kaduna senator, Shehu Sani, had condemned the statement by the cleric and maintained that criticising the government and its policies is the right of the citizens, but calling for the death of a First Lady is “utterly unacceptable.”
Chairman of YOWICAN, Belusochukwu Enwere, however voiced the collective stance of the council in a communiqué, emphasizing the urgent need for government and security agencies to take action.
The communiqué partly reads: “NEC is calling for the immediate arrest of the Muslim Cleric (Idris Abdulaziz Dusen Tenshi) who has called for the killing of the wife of the President, Sen Oluremi A Tinubu for being a Christian. Describing her as an infidel.
“The NEC is calling for the public prosecution of the cleric and wishes to request the said preacher should be restricted from preaching in Nigeria to serve as a deterrent to others.
“The NEC is giving the Federal Government and security agencies to act immediately to avoid the further deterioration of security situation in the country because of the unguided statement/utterance.”
Similarly, the lawmaker, representing Kaduna North Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Honourable Mohammed Bello El-Rufai, also called for the arrest and prosecution of the Muslim cleric.
The son of the former Kaduna state governor while reacting to the viral video of the cleric stating that Tinubu’s wife should be killed for being a pastor, said the Islamic cleric should keep his apology to himself.
Meanwhile, YOWICAN also addressed broader issues affecting the nation, including the economic hardships faced by citizens amid rising costs of living, and the deteriorating state of security marked by rampant killings across the country.
Highlighting the employment crisis, YOWICAN called on the government to implement policies specifically aimed at addressing youth unemployment, underscoring the importance of involving young people in the nation’s development process.
Enwere remarked, “The NEC acknowledges the hardship in the country which is occasioned by the constantly rising cost of living in the country which has resulted to an unprecedented level of hunger and suffering among the citizenry which our members are not exempted from.
“NEC calls on Government at all levels to intensify efforts at ameliorating the plights of the citizens in the country.”
The association also condemned the recent massacres in Plateau State and other regions, attributing them to a failure in maintaining national security.
“The NEC also totally condemns in its entirety, the deteriorating state of security in our country which has manifested in the wanton killings across the country, especially the massacre of our Christian brethren in Mangu, Barkin Ladi, Bassa, Bokkos Local Government Areas of Plateau State and other parts of the Country.
“We call on all stakeholders in the security of this country to expedite action on arresting the perpetrators of the evil act,” the communique added.
