Kano - One of Nigeria's most powerful Muslim
leaders, the emir of Kano, has voiced support for
vigilantes fighting Boko Haram, urging others to
form civilian militias and questioning the
competence of the military.
The comments were made by Sanusi Lamido
Sanusi, who became emir earlier this year after
being sacked from his post as the central bank
governor, where he was one of the government's
most high-profile critics.
It is extremely rare for Nigeria's clerics to speak
explicitly about political and military affairs, but
many expected Sanusi to defy convention and
inject himself into public debate after assuming
the highly influential post.
"People should be sensitised on the importance of
being on the alert. And they should prepare, they
should acquire what they will defend themselves
with," Sanusi said during Friday prayers at the
central mosque in Kano, the largest city in
Nigeria's mainly Muslim north.
AFP obtained a copy of the transcript of the
recording on Monday. While Sanusi did not
mention Boko Haram by name, it was clear he
was discussing efforts to resist the Islamist
rebels.
"Those that are endowed as hunters and
vigilantes should apply this endowment given to
them by Allah as an avenue of earning divine
reward in defending their nation," he said.
Nigeria's military has been cooperating with
various vigilante forces in the northeast for more
than a year, often relying on civilians to do the
bulk of the fighting against the insurgents.
Witnesses said it was vigilantes who recaptured
the symbolically important northeast town of
Chibok from Boko Haram at the weekend, with
troops staying clear of the heavy fighting.
Chibok was where the extremists kidnapped 276
schoolgirls in April. Fifty-seven have escaped.
"We should not wait for soldiers to come, before
they come the carnage will have been done,"
Sanusi told the congregation. "Some of them drop
their guns and flee."
The military has repeatedly been accused of
leaving civilians defenceless against Boko Haram
attacks and failing to respond to distress calls
made in advance of raids.
While Sanusi's comments were similar to those
made by President Goodluck Jonathan's critics,
they may feed added resentment towards the
government because the emir of Kano is expected
to stay above the political fray.
Days after Jonathan sacked him from the central
bank, Sanusi told AFP that the president was a
"simple" man who had been misled and
manipulated by incompetent advisors.
Officially, Sanusi is the number two Islamic cleric
in Nigeria, home to more than 80 million Muslims.
But many consider the emir of Kano to be more
influential than the sultan of Sokoto, who is the
country's top Islamic leader.
