The Insider(020) - THE MURDERERS OF SHEIKH JA’AFAR: BETWEEN THE TRUTH AND THE ILLUSION

THE MURDERERS OF SHEIKH JA’AFAR  BETWEEN THE TRUTH AND THE  ILLUSION

BY 

Salim Ishaq Hassan

(5th May, 2009)

On Friday April 13, 2007 there was chaos and confusions engulfed the whole Northern states of Nigeria particularly Kano, Maiduguri, Kaduna and others, when the demise of the great Shiekh Ja’afar was announced in different media. The great Sheikh was brutally assassinated via a shot of gun while offering his ‘Subh’ (morning) prayer in his mosque. Those who know Sheikh Ja’afar knew him only for his commitment to Islam and for his eruditeness and eloquence in ‘Tafseer’ (Qur’an Commentary). He was killed just for he proclaimed that “There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah”: no legislator and no law-giver besides Allah, and for that he called for the abolition of any system of life not designated by Allah. This is the reason why the great Sheikh was killed by the ‘neo-Jahili’ leaders of Nigeria. Despite that the material body of the Sheikh is no more here with us the sincere believers all know that his holy soul is still alive with Allah and is being provided with all sustenance (Tayyibat). The great Sheikh was murdered but yet Islam and sincere Muslims are alive and intact. The killers of Sheikh Ja’afar are still unknown meanwhile the situation is left un-investigated. And why all these? No body knows. May God bless Sheikh Ja’afar and preserve his soul in the highest paradise.

Now it is two years after the unexpected assassination of the Sheikh whom I may call the “Unique Martyr’ of his era. In this very recent time, we have been exposed to a critical report which says the Kano state governor, Mal. Ibrahim Shekarau is among the chief accomplice in enticing the killing of the Sheikh. However, there are no physical evidences provided. The preliminary evidences provided by the claimants of Sheikh Ja’afar’s holy blood is only based on hypothesis and speculation as it is available in their corroboration. The first article of this report was posted on internet website www.saharareporters.com. Secondly, another different but relevant report was published in a newspaper called “Desert Herald” based in Kaduna. The reports dwelt so much on the powerful indictment against Gov. Ibrahim Shekarau as the masterpiece in leading the assassination of the great Sheikh. It was said that it was Shekarau who provided some of the bribery and enticement payment to the killers of the Sheikh. Tijjani Garba who was accounted to have been the typical murderer of the Sheikh was said to have received $50,000 from Shekarau through his direct contractor, Alhaji Abba Gana. Furthermore, when Tijjani Garba, the assumed killer of the Sheikh Ja’afar had made confessional statement for his grave sin to Nigerian police, Shekarau had bribed the then Inspector General of police, Mr. Sunday Ehindero with another sum of N 100,000,000 to neglect and bury all the confessional statements made by Tijjani Garba, and to deviate any act of investigation.

But all such provided evidences are baseless and unreliable yet. We should not put our credence in this report; we have to think and ponder over it before we shall submit to it. An intelligent person would ask, what is the source of this evidence? Who discover this secret information? What are the physical and factual corroboration supporting this claimed evidences? And so on and so forth.

Perhaps, the main physical and factual corroboration to involve Shekarau in this crime was attributed to the bitter relationship that was known to have existed between Shekarau and Sheikh Ja’afar when the later was publicly declared his voluntary resignation and cut himself off from the Hisbah Board or Shari’ah Commission founded by Shekarau. The reason for his resignation was perceived to assume that the supposedly Shari’ah Commission was not based on sincere intention and true objectives of Islam. However, the actual reason for Sheikh Ja’afar’s leaving was only known to him until his death. As he leaved the Board, Sheikh Ja’afar began to criticizing Shekarau’s administration. Thus, Shekarau looked upon Ja’afar as a threat on his way to assume second tenure of Kano state governorship. Due to this fact, Shekarau become tempted to inevitably take all measures that he can to eliminate and remove this threat on his way. Unfortunately, the only resorted solution culminated in brutal murder of the Sheikh Ja’afar. Many who people who believe in Desert Herald’s report usually substantiate their evidence with such aforementioned bitter relationship of shekarau and sheikh Ja’afar.

So, how did the purported documents indicting Shekarau’s complicity come to exposure? I have a thorough research reading on knowing this fact and I have found that Tukur Mamu’s own credibility must have become suspicious in this matter. Previously, there was an irrational hatred nurtured by Tukur Mamu against Shekarau when he (Shekarau) refused to offer share of Two Million Naira as requested by Mamu. It was this Mamu who exposed the purported documentary indictment of Shekarau. The copy of confessional statement and the alleged cheque of N100, ooo, ooo must have been either fabricated by the Mamu or issued by some hidden government or private authorities. But we should not forget that the confessional statement carried a logo of Nigerian police. We may sense an element of truth but still Mamu must become suspicious. Do you know why? Sule Uba Gaya was the only person to have tactfully accessed the documentary indictment which was then available with Tukur Mamu, few weeks before their exposure to the public scene. When Sule accidentally came across the copy of the confessional statement of Tijjani Garba, he wanted to have it; but Mamu refused unless that he (Sule) promised to obtain that N2, 000, 000 from Shekarau; and that Shekarau would be smeared with such document if he fail to offer that money. If Mamu is sincere to expose the killers of Ja’afar why is he intending to prevaricate for obtaining material wealth of mere N2, 000, 000. This fact shows that even if Mamu appear to know the killers he is ready to enjoy bribe from them so as to deviate the truth. Let assume that Shekarau is the culprit, why Mamu want to accept N2, 000, 000 to purify Shekarau. Hence, Mamu’s rigorous investigation on this issue is far away from sincerity and fairness. We might perceive all of his attempt as a pretext implicate and to defame shekarau’s reputation. Sule have claimed that he had obtained copies of the documents indicting Shekarau from Tukur Mamu some months before Desert Herald’s publication. But why did he fail to inform the security or the public about such fact until the arrest of Ado Mohammed? Many people believe that Kano State government had conspired arrest of Ado Mohammed. However, according to Sule’ written account, the story was totally opposite, that Mamu did implicated Ado Mohammed just as he did it for Shekarau. Sule stated that the Bank PHB Cheque was introduced to him by Mamu which led to the arrest to Ado Mohammed was introduced to him by Mamu. In the words of Sule Uba: “Let me also say that Tukur Mamu personally gave me a photocopy of that Bank PHB cheque as well as some purported documents to do with killing of Sheikh Ja’afar in the evening of Wednesday, May, 2009…..It was from Tukur Mamu that I saw the cheque for the first time. If I am lying against Tukur Mamu may Allah destroy my life and refuse me all what I want in this world and the hereafter”.

He further declared that: “Let me also make swear that if I or any other official of Kano State government were the one(s) who concocted the cheque to implicate Freedom Radio and/or Alhaji Ado Mohammed may Allah destroy my life and refuse me all what I want in this world and the hereafter….. I challenge Tukur Mamu to come and swear to Allah in the same manner that I just did” (Dailytrust, Monday, July 20, 2009, Vol. 22 No 16; p. 22).

Even the police security had found such documents in Mamu’s house during their investigative research. But, Mamu claimed to have got them only as they (documents) became available among the public after Sahara reporters’ publication. Nevertheless, Sule Uba disclaimed this allegation as he said: “Tukur Mamu was also lying when he said a copy of the cheque and other documents found in his house during police research amounted to nothing, that he got them because they have already become public documents by the publication of same in Sahara reporters. He is lying because he personally gave a copy of that cheque early May this year, while Sahara reporters only published it almost two months later……who gave Sahara reporters a copy of that cheque? If the cheque was indeed stole (then) who stole it…….It is either he (Mamu) who stole it from Alhaji Ado Mohammed/flaps or he knows who did so”.

So, therefore, we must hold Mamu accountable for certain for certain reasons; either Mamu fabricated such cheque and documents or he obtained them from other source. In either case we are left in a highly questionable situation. The important point to keep up to date in our mind is there was no any other Nigerian newspapers that published the first story of Ja’afar’s murder except Mamu’s Desert herald. And according to Sule’s account, Mamu had obtained some relevant documents to do with killing Sheikh Ja’afar even before Sahara reporters’ publication. This means that it might be said there was a complex networking and relationship between American Sahara reporters and Mamu’s Desert herald in fabricating intrigues against Gov. Shekarau. An imperative question to ask is: who introduce the documents to either between them? It should be either Mamu introduced them to Sahara reporters or vice versa. In all the case, we need to know where did they get the documents first.

Until now no one can actually prove the physical and factual evidences that portray Shekarau’s involvement in this crime. All what we have stated is only a hypothesis, and not a fact. Despite of all this, there is indeed sense of truth in the reports. However, some critical analysts have considered the report as a pretext of political propaganda to undermine and kill the spirit of A.N.P.P in Kano which will pave the way to the P.D.P’s victory in the next election.

Finally, God knows the murderers of his noble servant and all those who have cunningly contributed to the crime. Little by little God will reveal the truth and will expose the killers to the world visibly on the earth and put them to shame and misery in their life. We, the sincere advocate of Shari’ah and Islam hereby, suggest that there shall be no compromise with the murderers of Sheikh Ja’afar whenever they become known to the world. Justice must be done by the laws executers when the culprits are found. And if not, there is possibility of anything to happen – skirmish here and there and terrorizing the political leaders. In order to avoid any crisis and civil war the murderers if found and confirmed guilty they should be dealt with accordingly. The failure of doing justice, whatever the result and consequences might be, the government should be blamed.