Bauchi-based Islamic cleric, Idris Abdulaziz, has returned from exile following the intervention of National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu, who helped settle the protracted political feud between the cleric and Governor Bala Muhammad.

Abdulaziz had fled Bauchi State earlier this year, alleging persecution and the threat of arbitrary arrest by the state government after openly campaigning against Governor Muhammad in the March 2023 elections. The cleric had supported the governor’s main opponent, Abubakar Sadiq of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

On January 24, security agents raided Abdulaziz’s residence in Dutsen Tanshi, Bauchi metropolis, executing a search warrant with over 250 police, civil defense, and military personnel. The cleric was subsequently declared wanted on February 8, with bounties placed on him by the police for contempt of court.

However, on Tuesday, April 8, the Commissioner of Police in Bauchi State, Auwal Musa Mohammad, facilitated a peace pact between Abdulaziz and the state government at the Police State headquarters. The pact was signed and witnessed by the Director of the Department of State Security Services (DSS), the Commandant of the Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Bauchi State.

Security agents blamed the crisis on a communication gap, which they pledged to address without hesitation. The police cautioned Abdulaziz, reminding him that while he enjoys the right to freedom of speech, he should refrain from using his pulpit to insult or make derogatory and abusive statements against colleagues who hold different opinions.

Abdulaziz, a Sunni cleric, faced criticism last April for comments made during a lecture on the oneness of God, in which he appeared to disparage some Sufi scholars of the Tijjaniyya Islamic sects. The controversy led to calls for his prosecution by some rivals from the Sufi sect, accusing him of disrespecting a religious creed.

The resolution of the conflict between the cleric and the state government is seen as a positive step towards promoting peaceful coexistence and harmonious relations among key figures in Bauchi State.

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