By Ismail Auwal
The District Head of Gezawa Emirate, Alhaji Mahmoud Aminu Yusuf, has given a cleric, Mallam Abba Mai Hallara, a notice of 30 days to vacate the emirate for allegedly falsifying the Prophet of Islam traditions (Hadith) and abusing the Prophet’s companions.
Yusuf, in a letter he sent to the Local Government Chairman, further accused the cleric of disuniting the Muslims in the emirate, and for breaching public peace.
In a letter sent exclusively to SAHELIAN TIMES, he has called the attention of all relevant security agencies and said the reasons behind his decision was a result of a petition he received from different community-based organizations.
A lawyer who spoke to SAHELIAN TIMES said that “section 41 of the Constitution guarantees freedom of movement for every Nigerian citizen. That freedom entails living and residing in any part of the country subject to the extant laws that are reasonably justifiable in a democratic society.”
He added that it is obvious that this right cannot be absolute. But is banning someone from an area one of its derogations? my answer is No.
“Anybody living in Nigeria is under a legal duty to be law-abiding. Inciting public disturbance or breaching public peace is not law-abiding. Yet banning someone from the community is not the punishment provided by the law.”
“ For inciting public disturbance or breaching public peace, depending on whether something tangible happened as a result thereof. The culprit is normally asked to execute a ‘bond to keep the peace’. “ he added
