A Sokoto based Islamic cleric, Bello Yabo, has likened the attack on the convoy of President Muhammadu Buhari in Katsina to the stoning of the satan.
The Stoning of the Devil or Satan is one of the Islamic Hajj pilgrimage rituals in the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, where pebbles are thrown at three walls called jamarat.
DAILY NIGERIAN reports that on Wednesday some angry residents of Katsina came out to protest what they described as untold hardships meted on Nigerians by the Buhari administration.
The protesters reportedly lit bonfires and threw pebbles and other items at the presidential motorcade.
Reacting to the incident during his preaching session on Friday, Mr Yabo said that the action depicted the anger and frustration of many Nigerians.
“You have heard how Katsina people stoned the Satan yesterday. May Allah bless Katsina people. I was filled with joy last night. Any preacher who faults them should go and correct [the problems created by the administration].
“This how they should be treated wherever they go. This how they will realise they wronged the people.
“True to their slogan, Katsina people have shown that they are only shy but fearless. And they have shown that yesterday. May God bless them.
“They booed him as a thief and stoned him like the Satan. This is how people should revolt against their oppressors. Until we act this way, they will never regard us.
“What happened to him [Buhari] is a clear example of change from grace to grass. Remember, this is a man for whom many people were killed. But now look at how he is being embarrassed and pelted with stones in his own state like the Satan. I’m happy that his happened in Katsina; otherwise, it would have been given a different interpretation,” the cleric said.
Mr Yabo, who said a lot of people would lose their legitimate income as a result of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s policy to redesign the naira, also faulted human rights groups for not raising their voices to condemn the CBN action.
“Where are the human rights organizations? Or is this not an abuse of citizens’ rights? How many people will lose their legitimate and hard earned money as a result of this policy. But the good news is that people have begun to stand up for themselves,” he added.
