The mosque committee of Apo legislative quarters, Abuja, has explained that it suspended its Chief Imam, Nuru Khalid, over a sermon he delivered on Friday.
In his sermon, the cleric, who lamented the security situation and disregard for human life in the country told his congregation that there is a collective failure from the various leaderships of the country especially from President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Is there nobody to take responsibility? I want to believe that we have all failed,” he said
According to Khalid, “I failed as an imam to teach you that life is sacred; you all failed as parents to teach your children that killing is bad. Our community leaders failed, our politicians failed, governors failed, especially his excellency, the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, you have failed us.”
Berating President Buhari, the cleric recalled the promises the president made while canvassing for votes.
“We have your video telling Nigerians that the military is capable, it has all the requirements to tackle all the insurgency and if you are voted into power, you are going to make sure that happens in a short time.”
He noted that the president had failed in keeping his promises after being voted twice.
“You have been given four years and an addition, yet people are dying like fowls, killing is becoming the norm in Nigeria under your watch Mr President,” he lamented.
Mr Khalid said he is willing to shoulder whatever consequences came with calling out the president’s inability to tackle the security challenges confronting Nigerians.
“If there is no Nigerian to tell you, I will take the responsibility of telling you and I will take the responsibility of the consequences because the lives and properties of Nigerians are above all,” he said.
“Let me tell you, Mr President, under your watch, bandits are demanding, are taxing Nigerians; is that the provision of the constitution of Nigeria. Under the constitution of Nigeria, no one has the right to tax any Nigerian except being authorised by the federal government,” Mr Khalid said.
Khalid, who is also the founder of Islamic Research and Da’awah Foundation, advised Nigerians to vote only for candidates who can guarantee their safety.
“What you are telling us is that your concern is about the 2023 elections. And what I am telling the citizens is to send a message that we are going to vote under one condition. Nigerian masses should resort to only one term which is – protect our lives, we will come out to vote; let us be killed, we will not come out to vote, since it’s the only language you understand, we are going to speak it.
“We need prayers. We need supplication. This is very important at a time when Nigeria is facing a very serious challenge. Everything is not working well. People are dying. Our roads are not secured.
“Most part of the country is not secured. The government is always telling us that they are doing their best. But we deserve more than that best as citizens because we want a secured Nigeria.”
Khalid’s sermon came days after the country witnessed a fatal attack on a Kaduna-bound train where at least eight passengers were killed and others abducted.
The Suspension
According to a statement sent to BBC Hausa Service, the chairman of the mosque committee, Saidu Dansadau, said the committee suspended the imam over his sermon that it deemed ‘inciting public outrage’.
“The decision was taken out of the inciting Friday sermon you delivered on April 1st, 2022; where you advised people not to vote come 2023 general elections unless politicians respond to some critical questions.
“You should have advised them to vote out those that transgress the Almighty and breach people’s social contract as well as the state,” the statement said.
The committee maintained that Mr Khalid’s sermon negated the tenets of Islam.
Daily Trust reported the committee has immediately appointed Malam Mohammad who will deliver Ramadan Tafsir while Malam Abdullahi will be leading Friday prayers.
The Group Chief Executive Oando Plc, Jubril Adewale Tinubu; Chairman of BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu, and several other Nigerian business mogul have joined President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, for the performance of Umrah, the lesser Islamic pilgrimage.
The presence of the prominent Nigerian business leaders alongside the President in the holy city has drawn attention, bringing together three influential figures from Nigeria’s political and business communities in a moment of religious observance.
Tinubu and Rabiu, both prominent names in Nigeria’s corporate landscape, were seen alongside the President dressed in the traditional white Ihram garments worn by Muslim pilgrims performing Umrah.
Umrah, unlike the obligatory Hajj pilgrimage, can be undertaken at any time of the year. It involves a series of religious rites in Makkah and holds profound spiritual significance for Muslims across the world.
For the Nigerian business community, the appearance of the corporate leaders alongside the President also offers a glimpse into the intersection of faith, business and public life, particularly when influential figures come together outside the usual settings of boardrooms, corporate engagements and official functions.
The development comes as President Tinubu undertook the pilgrimage to seek divine guidance and offer prayers for Nigeria’s peace, unity, stability and progress.
According to the Presidency, the President performed the Umrah rites early Friday, October 30, at the Grand Mosque, Masjid al-Haram, where he circumambulated the Holy Ka’abah.
Speaking after completing the spiritual exercise, Tinubu described the pilgrimage as significant, linking it to his commitment to Nigeria and its people. He also expressed gratitude to Allah for the opportunity to pray for the country.
The President’s prayers reportedly centre on national harmony, security, economic prosperity and the need for Nigerians to live together peacefully.
Rabiu also used the occasion to express his hopes for the country, describing it as an honour to accompany the President on the spiritual journey. He prayed for lasting peace, unity and prosperity in Nigeria.
For Tinubu, whose Oando Group occupies a prominent position in Nigeria’s energy industry, the journey offered a departure from the familiar world of corporate leadership and business engagements. Rabiu, similarly, is a major player in the country’s industrial sector, with interests spanning manufacturing, cement and food production.
Their appearance in Makkah alongside the President underscores the presence of leading figures from Nigeria’s private sector at an important spiritual moment for the country’s leader.
Umrah, often described as the lesser pilgrimage, is a significant act of worship in Islam. Unlike Hajj, which takes place during a specific period in the Islamic calendar, Umrah can be performed throughout the year.
President Tinubu is expected to return to Nigeria next week after completing his spiritual engagements in Saudi Arabia.
Abba Abubakar,son of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, has promised to deliver Adamawa, his father’s state, for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 elections.
He spoke on Friday at the All Progressives Congress (APC) national secretariat in Abuja during the Haske Bola Tinubu Organisation (HBTO) unveiling and the launch of its subsidised public transportation support scheme.
Abubakar, HBTO founder, said his decision to back Tinubu is not an attempt to antagonise his father, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate.
“I recognise that political decisions, particularly those that differ from the positions of individuals with whom one shares personal and family relationships, often attract considerable public attention,” he said.
“However, political conviction is a matter of personal judgment, conscience, and the freedom of every individual to make independent choices.
“My decision to establish and lead the HBTO is a deliberate political choice made with a firm belief in the direction we have chosen.”
He said democracy is strengthened when individuals can make independent political choices, engage in constructive dialogue, and support the leadership and political platforms they believe best represent their aspirations.
“It is within this spirit that HBTO was established,” he said.
He commended the economic reforms introduced by the Tinubu administration, citing the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), national infrastructure investments, increased statutory allocations to state governments, and transport support schemes as some of the key social intervention programmes.
Asked whether he would ensure the president gets maximum votes in Adamawa, Abubakar said: “Yes, yes, yes. We are going to deliver Adamawa state.”
He, however, said his decision should not be seen as a betrayal of his family ties or his father’s political aspiration.
“I’ve always supported my father since I started acting in politics, and I supported him because of what he has done for the country,” he said.
“But I believe that whenever a government comes out with policies that will help the people, I will join them.
“It’s not just because it’s my father. I don’t think I am antagonising him; I simply believe in the current government’s policies and the reforms taking place.”
Abubakar joined the APC in January 2026, vowing to mobilise support for Tinubu’s re-election.
1. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday blamed some of its registration officers across the country for the appearance of suspected artificial intelligence (AI)-generated photographs and other irregularities in its preliminary voters’ register.
The commission alleged that some officials exploited their authorised access to its registration system to introduce questionable records into the database.
2. Rising temperatures, compounded by erratic electricity supply, are forcing residents in many states to sleep outdoors, take repeated night-time baths and spend more on alternative power sources as households struggle to cope with the heat. While many Nigerians who spoke with Saturday PUNCH reported prolonged blackouts and inadequate water supply, others said the conditions had made nights uncomfortable.
3. Troops conducting internal security operations across the country killed more than 217 terrorists and other armed criminals in October, the Defence Headquarters, DHQ, has said. The operations, conducted between September 30 and October 30, also led to the rescue of hundreds of kidnapped victims, the arrest of suspected terrorists and their collaborators, and the surrender of more than 50 terrorist fighters and their family members.
4. A businessman, Akinbolusere Kayode, popularly known as Tolufe, has allegedly committed suicide at Igba town in Ondo State, after lamenting his personal and business challenges in a video that has gone viral on social media. Akinbolusere, 46, reportedly died in his office beside BOVAS Petrol Station, Igba Town, at about 3 pm on Thursday. The State Police Command confirmed his death in a statement issued by its spokesperson, Jimoh Abayomi, in Akure on Friday evening.
5. Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, AAC, and the Ekiti State Police Command have given conflicting accounts of an incident at a restaurant in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, on Friday. While Sowore insisted that he and members of his team were violently attacked, the police described the incident as an altercation with some individuals, saying the activist sustained a minor injury.
6. The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has arrested a pastor, Edwin Nwabueze, and another suspect, Sadiq Jamiu, over the alleged theft of a Toyota Camry in Abuja. The vehicle was reportedly stolen at UTC Plaza in the Garki area of the Federal Capital Territory. The police said Nwabueze, who identified himself as a pastor with Salvation Power Bible Ministry in the North Bank area of Benue State, was arrested, following investigations into the theft.
7. Kemi Badenoch, leader of Britain’s Conservative Party, says “racist attacks” against her are “not going to work”, after Raheem Kassam, a former aide to Nigel Farage, called her a “Nigerian scammer”. Badenoch spoke during an interview on ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Thursday, following a series of posts by Kassam criticising her.
8. Senator Adams Oshiomhole has defended President Bola Tinubu’s decision not to attend every campaign rally ahead of the 2027 general elections. He insisted that there is no contradiction between the President’s religious activities and his responsibility to govern the country. Oshiomhole said Tinubu’s decision to limit his participation in campaign activities was a matter of choice and the prerogative of the ruling All Progressives Congress.
9. The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Kano State Command, has busted an illegal diesel refining site at Panisau, Ungoggo Local Government Area of Kano State, leading to the arrest of five suspects. This was disclosed on Friday in a statement signed by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Ibrahim Abdullahi.
10. A 15-year-old Ghanaian boy, Javits Frimpong, has been shot and killed in the Bronx, New York, while on his way to school, with his father alleging that bullying at school may have contributed to the incident. Frimpong was shot in the stomach near East 171st Street and Third Avenue shortly after 9 a.m. on Thursday, according to law enforcement officials. The shooting happened just steps from his home.
News4 years ago
Privacy5 years ago
News5 years ago
News5 years ago
Opinion5 years ago
News6 years ago
Sports5 years ago