Renowned northern cleric Sheikh Auwal Shariff, who is located in Kaduna State, has been held by the Department of State Services (DSS) for interrogation after he voiced criticism of Chief Bola Tinubu’s administration on the nation’s economic difficulties.
The well-known Muslim cleric from Zaria who has been loud in his criticism of Tinubu is said to have been questioned on Friday and then freed the same day.
Shariff compared the transfer of power between former President Muhammadu Buhari and Tinubu to the biblical characters Haman and Pharaoh in a video.
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He also chastised Tinubu for his hurried announcement in his inaugural speech that the petrol subsidy would no longer be provided, which caused a dramatic spike in petrol prices.
According to DailyNigerian, Sharif stated, “Tinubu and Buhari are like Pharaoh and Haman; there is no difference between them. If not for Tinubu’s lack of respect and dignity for Nigerians, how can you announce the removal of subsidy in your inaugural speech?
“After announcing the removal on the inauguration stage, the petrol price jumped from around N200 to over N600 before the president left the venue.
“And people just laughed it off, as though nothing happened. What kind of people are we?
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“Ideally, he should have consulted his economic team before making such a hasty decision; even the military, which rules by decree, don’t make that kind of pronouncement.”
An top source revealed that the cleric was interrogated for some hours before he was asked to go home.
Under anonymity, the source stated, “Some operatives of the SSS stormed the residence of Malam on Friday before Jumuat prayers, but he wasn’t at home.
“They came back again after the Jumuat prayer, but could not meet him. So they left behind a letter and a phone number for him to call.
“Upon his arrival from the mosque, Malam reached out to them, confirming the receipt of their letter.
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“He offered to go to their office immediately, but we advised him against it. Even the SSS asked him to wait until Monday, but he insisted on going to know the reason for the invitation, and prove his innocence.
“He went and had a discussion with them, and after hours of grilling, he was allowed to go home.
“From what we gathered, the order to arrest Malam was from Abuja, but somehow the matter was handled by the Kaduna State Command.”
The source further revealed that DSS advised Shariff to be less critical given the delicate political climate, citing security worries about some of his sermons and their effect on public attitude.
“He was advised to be less critical due to the fragile nature of the polity,” the source revealed.
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