Niger govt clarifies misrepresentation of incident at Fida’u prayers

Niger State Government has issued a statement to clarify the misrepresentation of an incident that occurred during the three-day Fida’u Prayer for the late wife of the Deputy Governor, Hajiya Zainab Garba.

According to the Special Adviser to the Governor on Print Media, Ms. A’isha Wakaso, the incident involved a “feeble-minded individual/social miscreant” who pretended to be an Imam/Islamic Cleric and attempted to take the microphone from the governor to lead the prayers.

Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago’s security aide was instructed to remove the individual, which led to various reactions on social and traditional media.

“The continued attacks on the Governor’s character by some media outlets over this issue are unfortunate and uncalled for, especially since the Governor’s actions were meant to curb the excesses of unruly individuals and prevent the Fida’u prayer from being reduced to a mere spectacle or a child’s play.

“The individual in question is a long-time follower of the Governor, known from his time in the banking industry and his tenure as a Member of the House of Representatives who he knows personally and has empowered with different trades at different times but has continuously squandered the money and keeps coming back and on that day, get the Governor’s attention, he impersonated as an imam until the Governor found him out.

“It is worth noting that while some media houses have continued to criticize the Governor’s actions, others have understood and supported the necessity of maintaining order and respect in public functions, particularly during sensitive gatherings like the Fida’u Prayer. The individual involved not only denied being slapped by the security agents who ordered him out of the Deputy Governor’s residence in a video but has publicly apologized to the Imams and the Governor, acknowledging his overzealousness and inappropriate actions,” the statement partly read.