Worried by increasing incidences of societal unrest in Kano, Islamic clerics have resolved to jointly find a workable solution to addressing the menace of criminal tendencies in the state.

Besides, the religious leaders appealed to concerned authorities to mitigate the root cause of criminality, to enable the youth to dissipate their energy into productivity.

The spiritual leaders gave their commitment at a stakeholders’ engagement organised by AA Zaura Foundation, intended to instil a healthy environment and a crime-free society.

In their separate positions, the Islamic scholars also cautioned the government to look into rampant cases of drug abuse among married women and ladies, calling for proactive measures to block access to Kano.

AA Zaura Foundation recently met with leaders of rival political thugs, hunters, and vigilante groups to end needless attacks and criminalities, while offering opportunities to rehabilitate the youths for a better future.

Addressing the Ulamas, founder of the foundation, Abdulkarim Abdulsalam Zaura, said the engagement with Islamic scholars was considered critical because of their spiritual role in society.

Zaura explained that as agents of social consciousness and guidance to the right path, religious leaders are being engaged to support the foundation in the areas of counselling and moral support for the youth.

He said, “In continuation of this project and campaign against drug abuse, political thuggery, and criminalities in Kano, we believe the Ulamas have a very important role to play in tackling this issue. They are the voice of the people, they are the voice of God, and they have many different ways of counselling people.

“Don’t forget, one Ulama or one Imam can change a lot of people. So, they are part of this project; they are stakeholders in this project. We are looking for a different way to connect to the people. We need them to understand the project and mission. We had a critical discussion and they agreed to work out possible ways to end thuggery and drug abuse in Kano.”

Zaura, who contested the Kano Central Senatorial District under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the 2023 general election, stressed that the mission of the foundation was to bring about meaningful growth devoid of political affiliation.

He expressed readiness to collaborate with concerned authorities, including the state government and security agencies, to rid Kano of drug abuse and criminal tendencies.

“Of course, like I said last week, this is the type of project that I take responsibility for. I am not putting any exceptions. The government, private entities, or any person who feels like rescuing Kano is free to join us. This is not a political fight, and it does not belong to Zaura alone. It is a responsibility, a big job to do, and I can’t do it alone,” he added.

“I am a politician, and in my years of politics, I have never encouraged people to take drugs. Politicians giving thugs any form of drugs to fight their opponents should be discouraged. Some of these thugs are graduates. So why would a politician give them drugs while keeping their own children abroad? It has to stop,” Zaura noted.