NIGERIA: SECT MEMBERS DEPORTED, PREACHING

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABUJA 001577

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/W, INR/AA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/26/2019
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL KIRF KISL NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: SECT MEMBERS DEPORTED, PREACHING
RESTRICTED

REF: A. ABUJA 01515

B. ABUJA 00820

Classified By: Political Counselor James McAnulty for reasons 1.4. (b &
d).


1. (SBU) Summary: Authorities evicted over 1,250 Darul Islam
members from Niger state to their home states and deported
others to Niger Republic for lack of documentation. The mass
eviction, exacerbated by unhygienic conditions at
GON-provided temporary housing, evoked criticism from human
rights groups. The GON's perception that another violent
confrontation may occur prompted Borno State to vet Muslim
preachers during Ramadan. End Summary.


2. (U) GON officials evicted over 1,250 members of the Darul
Islam sect, removed by police August 15 (ref A) from their
village in Niger State, to their states of origin.
Individuals reportedly received compensation for unmovable
assets and traveled to their respective state capitals by bus
under police escort. Nigerian Immigration Service officials
deported another 300 members to neighboring Niger after
determining that they lacked proper documentation. Police
detained Darul Islam members for questioning at the
Government Technical College Mokwa before eviction.
Unsanitary living conditions there reportedly led to an
outbreak of cholera.


3. (SBU) Human rights activists and Muslim organizations,
including the Muslim Students Society Association of Nigeria,
alleged the GON violated the constitutional and human rights
of Darul Islam members. Niger State officials maintained,
however, that they made adequate preparations for the welfare
of the individuals temporarily housed at the college and
insisted that security forces had to intervene to prevent
another religious crisis following the Boko Haram violence in
July.

Preachers Vetted
--------------


4. (C) On August 25, Borno State approved 150 Muslim scholars
(out of several hundreds) to preach during Ramadan. Zanab
Baguna Hassan, Assistant to the Shehu of Borno, told POLOFF
the Shehu met with the State Commissioner for Religious
Affairs to determine which scholars would receive approval.
Hassan claimed the Shehu personally met with the Ulama
(Muslim preachers) to advise them on how to preach without
inciting violence.


5. (C) Deputy Governor of Borno State Alhaji Adamu Dibal
confirmed to PolSpec August 26 that the state government
sought to regulate religious preaching even though the state
assembly has yet to pass any enabling legislation. He stated
that 150 preachers gained temporary permission to preach in
only "designated mosques in Maiduguri, not in the entire
state as claimed by the press." He added that Muslims could
fulfill other religious duties throughout Ramadan but that
preaching in major mosques required permission from the state
government. Dibal recognized that "denying clerics the right
to preach would bring more problems than solutions" and
"generate bad blood" between many Muslim groups and the state
government. Therefore, he explained, the government will
work with the Ulama and traditional rulers to develop an
acceptable law for the regulation of preaching within Borno
State.


6. (SBU) Comment: The eviction of Fulani herdsmen from
Plateau State in April 2009 (ref B) to their states of origin
appears to have served as a precedent for state action to
prevent conflict. GON concern over the recent Boko Haram
violence has now led to potential limits on freedom of
religious expression, even if there is no clear legal
authority to do so. End Comment.
MCCULLOUGH