To forestall the possibility of another slide into violence, the police yesterday in Kano stopped the celebration of this year's edition of the Maukibi festival slated for today by followers of the Qadiriyya Sufi sect.
The decision to ban the procession, which is celebrated with fanfare by followers of the creed annually, followed an outcry by non-indigenes in the state as well as the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), who have raised fears that the ceremony might spark carnage.
According to the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Baba Mohammed, an Assistant Supeintendent (ASP) who announced the ban at a press conference, the decision was in conformity with the Public Order Act.
He said the police "have no other choice than to ban the procession" so as to avert another violent crisis in the state. The ban is also aimed at sustaining the fragile peace in the state.
Mohammed told journalists in Kano: "You are all aware that the state has just witnessed an unprecedented mayhem in which lives and property were lost. In conformity with the Public Order Act, the police command wishes to announce that the Maukibi celeberation scheduled to take place on Saturday, 5th June, is banned."
The police spokesman added that followers of the group "who have been associated with peace at all times are advised to keep off the celebration in the interest of peace and tranquility in the state".
He said the command had deployed its men to all nooks and crannies of the state to ensure that people go about their lawful businesses without hindrance, adding that people should report any threat to security to the police.
Extolling the virtue of the Qadiruya Sufi sect, Baba noted: "It is a known fact that members of the Qadiriyya movement have been conducting their annual activities without any trouble or causing threat to security."
Ahead of the police ban, the spokesman of the movement, Sheik AbdulJabar Nasiru Kabara, has said that though they agreed to shelve the procession, the ceremony would hold at Gidan Kadiriyya (Qadiriyya House). "Given the prevailing situation in the states, we have resolved to shelve our procession. But we will now confine our ceremony to Gidan Kadiriyya," he said.
The group spokesman told journalists: "Although we have been holding this festival for the past 53 years without any violence, we feel we should hold on so as not give those hoodlums an excuse to go on killing and maiming innocent people for no just reason as we witnessed some few weeks ago."
THISDAY reliably gathered that it took a lot of persuasion by some elders of the state before the group eventually agreed to stop the procession. Many followers of the creed had insisted on going ahead with procession despite the the panic it generated.
In 1991, the group defied a similar ban following an unrest in the state to celebrate the Maukibi, which is the commemoration of the birth of the founder of the sect, Sheik AbdulQadir Jilani, who lived in Iraq in the 11th Century.
The followers come out enmasse every year to mark the ceremony in a carnival like fashion of drumming singing and dancing, but adhering to strict Muslim dressing and singing.
Meanwhile, the Zone One headquarters of the Nigeria Police has announced a N500,000 reward for anybody with information that would lead to the arrest of persons behind the circulation of an instigating letter calling on Muslims to wage war against infidels.
In the same vein, security has been beefed up in the ancient city as soldiers and police were yesterday seen patrolling the streets of the city.
Following the fears raised about another imminent attack on non-indigenes in Kano State, the South-east caucus members of the House of Representatives warned that they may have no alternative than to mobilise the Igbo to pull out from the ancient city.
Leader of the caucus, Hon. Gilbert Nnaji, said lawmakers may be compelled to go back home to mobilise for the final pull out of the Igbo from Kano State since, according to him, the Igbo have always been the ones targeted with such attacks even when nothing links them to the problem.
He however made clear that such mobilisation would be the last resort since it had the capacity to inflame already frayed nerves and may engender reprisal actions. For that reason, he said, the issue should be well handled.
The caucus had planned a motion of urgent national importance, failure of which they would have staged a walk out from the chambers before the House went on a six-week recess. But the members were prevailed uponi by the House of Representatives Speaker, Alhaji Aminu Bello Masari, to allow him to confer with Governor Ibrahim Shekarau of Kano.
THISDAY learnt that the governor assured the Speaker that there was no fear of any attack as all processions and gatherings, whether peaceful or not, has been banned to forestall any eventuality.
The governor, it was reported dismissed the fear of any attack on the Igbo and other non-indigenes, assuring that even if there was an attack, there was enough security on the ground to handle such trouble makers.
The South-east caucus members said they had been assured about the safety of the Igbo in Kano, and warned that they would not be placated with any explanations should anything again happen to their people there.
Hon. Nnaji said that the number of Igbo lives so far lost in Kano, added to goods and property of the people looted and destroyedd in Kano made it imperative that they muster and ensure that the Igbo should leave Kano than be slaughtered on religious or other pretences.
He said they were told that the threat of an attack was a ruse.
He added that the government was doing everything it could to keep peace, including to stop the festival.
Non-indigenes in Kano State had early this week vowed to counter any orgy of violence that may result from this year's commemoration of the Maukibi festival.