The Secretary-General, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, on Monday, said the council had reached out to Boko Haram in a bid to negotiate the release of Leah Sharibu, the Christian girl still being held in captivity by the insurgents.

Oloyede, who is also the Registrar/Chief Executive of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, also warned religious leaders in the country to desist from promoting crisis in society, calling for peace and harmony between Christians and Muslims.


The NSCIA chief spoke while delivering a lecture titled: “Achieving Peace, Stability and Good Governance in a Multi-ethnic and Multi-religious Society” at The Point Newspaper’s Annual Ramadan Lecture on the premises of Lagos Television, Agindingbi, Ikeja, Lagos.

He noted that NSCIA began negotiations with some members of the sect before the recent threat by the Christian Association of Nigeria that there would be religious war if Sharibu should die in the captivity.

The insurgents abducted 110 students on February 19 and released them a month later, with the exception of Sharibu and five other students, who died in captivity.

Sharibu was reportedly held back for refusing to renounce her Christian faith.

Oloyede, however, disclosed that the Muslim body had already reached out to the insurgents and promised to help to secure an amnesty for the members of the sect if they set Sharibu free.

He, therefore, described the threats by CAN on the matter as unnecessary, uncalled for and counter-productive to the negotiations for Sharibu’s release.

Oloyede said, “The unfortunate abduction of Leah and other girls, both Muslims and Christians, is intensely hurtful to all right-thinking persons. I am aware that the particular case of Leah made the leadership of the NSCIA reach out to all possible channels of reaching the group with a proposal to secure amnesty for the group provided Leah and other girls in captivity are released and the group surrender their arms. This knowledge made the careless threat particularly painful.

“The Christian Association of Nigeria recently escalated the state of insecurity with its threat that should Leah Sharibu die in captivity of Boko Haram, there would be a religious war.

“I am as astonished as the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, who recently expressed shock at the destructive and counter-productive statement.

“Boko Haram has never hidden its mission of setting Nigeria ablaze through a religious war. Whose interest was the call to serve? Definitely, not that of the innocent Nigerian lady, Leah Sharibu. Is it fair, religious or Godly to, for the sake of political grandstanding and publicity-seeking, endanger the life of such a precious, principled and promising lady?

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Oloyede, who is also the Registrar/Chief Executive of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation

Nigeria. An Islamic fanatic is the registrar of JAMB.

Some children will start calling the man names now oga o.

diebuhari1:


Nigeria. An Islamic fanatic is the registrar of JAMB.

Hmmm, a fanatic who made returns of 8 billion in one year while non fanatics only managed to make returns of 50 million in 3 years for the same activity.

Is that not a useful fanatic?

Ovamboland:


Hmmm, a fanatic who made returns of 8 billion in one year while non fanatics only managed to make returns of 50 million in 3 years.

Is that not a useful fanatic?

Mugu did the previous registrar sell JAMB forms as high as this one is selling? Were all the multiple charges we are seeing now in place then? Using JAMB as another means to rip off ordinary Nigerians seeking higher education is not something to be celebrated.

diebuhari1:


Nigeria. An Islamic fanatic is the registrar of JAMB.

What's wrong with that? Haven't christian bin the head of jamb b4?

Leah will & cannot die. God will not give dose idiots d pleasure of seeing her corpse.

Oblang:


What's wrong with that? Haven't christian bin the head of jamb b4?

This man is a fanatic, they typeof mentality Boko haram has

diebuhari1:
This man is a fanatic, they typeof mentality Boko haram has

He might be a fanatic but not those bokoharam. Same way there are Christians that are extremist like those deeper life ppl. Nigeria is neither a Christian nor Muslim state so christians should stop thinking they own the country...

diebuhari1:
Mugu did the previous registrar sell JAMB forms as high as this one is selling? Were all the multiple charges we are seeing now in place then? Using JAMB as another means to rip off ordinary Nigerians seeking higher education is not something to be celebrated.

Unintelligent & ever-deluded IPIG, how much was UTME form in 2011 & how much has it been for the past 3 years? You're making people think you're more unintelligent than you already are with this your mumu comment justifying why Jamb remitted N50m as against the current N8bn in 3 years!

How can the Secretary General of an Islamic council also be the head of Jamb ? So can we all now see how Arabic found it's way into the police questions that was set by Jamb !!!!!!! This country sef

Oblang:


He might be a fanatic but not those bokoharam. Same way there are Christians that are extremist like those deeper life ppl. Nigeria is neither a Christian nor Muslim state so christians should stop thinking they own the country...

Can you mention one person a deeper life member has assaulted, maimed or killed because of religion? There is nothing fanatical about deeper life abeg

No comment until she is released