Sultan warns of disobedience to court orders

 

• Says it’s recipe for lawlessness, chaos

The Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, has leant his revered voice for leaders at all levels of government and followers to respect the rule of law.

Alhaji Abubakar warned that disobedience to any court order is a recipe for lawlessness and chaos.

The Sultan’s admonition was delivered Thursday at the 2019 fourth quarter meeting of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council with the theme: ‘Religion and Civil Authorities in Dialogue for Nation-Building’ in Abuja.

“Everyone must be law-abiding in the interest of national development.

“We must regularly obey and respect the laws of our land. We should never disregard the laws to avoid the consequences. If a court makes a judicial pronouncement on a particular matter, it should be obeyed to the letter.

“If you have any problem or disagree with the pronouncement, the next step is to appeal the pronouncement instead of disregarding or violating court judgments.

“If you are served a court order and you deliberately refused to obey it because you are a governor, president or any influential person, then you are setting a dangerous precedent.

“There’s no society that will prosper through lawlessness; Citizens must be law-abiding so that we can achieve the desired development,” the Sultan warned.

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The NSCIA President-General called for inter-religious dialogue in the country, adding that it would foster a better understanding among the people.

He warned against extremism in the country, stressing the importance of education and the need to enrol street children in school and curb drug abuse in the country.

In his speech, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha, commended the co-chairmen and members of the NIREC for being steadfast in maintaining the peace and harmony in the country.

He said: “The time has now come for governments at all levels to sit down and discuss the issue of religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence with our religious and traditional rulers because the success or failure of security administration in the country depends largely on both institutions.

“You, therefore, remain in the frontline of stakeholders in the business of peace building in every community.”