Bauchi, Nigeria - Bauchi State Police Command has released 10 minors out of the 24 arrested persons suspected to be disciples of the late leader of the Islamic sect, Kala-Kato that caused a religious crisis in the state recently.
Daily Champion checks at the Police Command Headquarters revealed that the disciples were released by the Police to the state office of the Red Cross which in turn took them to a suburb of Bauchi to be taken care of for some days before being set free.
It was also gathered that most of the disciples were from Niger Republic while others came from other parts of the country including the Federal Capital in search of Islamic religious knowledge and so did not know the cause of the crisis other than that they were forced out of their abodes during the crisis which claimed the lives of many of their colleagues.
The remaining 12 adults among those arrested are still in detention pending further investigations after which all those implicated will be prosecuted.
Meanwhile, Nigerians and the international community have been advised not to view the eruption of sectarian crises in Bauchi State last year as religiously motivated but an act by a few bad eggs who are benefiting from such crises as a means of livelihood.
The advice was given by the Chief Imam of Bauchi Central Mosque, Bala Inna in an interview with newsmen at the Palace of the Emir of Bauchi on Monday, saying that all those causing crises in the state such as the Boko Haram were sect members fighting for ideologies and positions within their sects.
Inna further stressed that the Boko Haramu sect's members were fighting the powers of the government and security agents not civilians based on their utterances before, during and even after the crisis which claimed many lives in a few states in the North.
He also said that the wars going on in Afghanistan, Lebanon and other places of the world, were not given religious colorations even by the western world wondering then why those in Bauchi were always tagged religious crisis.
He said that the sects were not fighting other religions, saying, "We are not supporting them or their acts, their approach is wrong. The influx of people from neighboring states because of the growing economy of the state and the peaceful atmosphere within the communities are cause of the problems."
Though he believed that the miscreants were being sponsored by selfish people who ignite them to cause confusion, he lamented that it was unfortunate to attribute the disruptive act on the aspect of the government, as the government in the state has given youth the opportunity to be self reliant by training them in different skill acquisition programmes but misused the money and the opportunity and chose the wayward path.
"Parents and guardians should be vigilant on their children and wards as well as try at all cost to educate them so that they will not be available for use by those top placed individuals who will not use their own children to cause confusion by take advantage of the illiterate and jobless nature of the youths to foment trouble," he said.