The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), the apex Muslim authority in Nigeria, has expressed confidence in the ability of the Director General of the Department of State Services, Mr. Oluwatosin Ajayi, to be just and fair in investigating an allegation that a DSS operative abducted a minor from Jigawa State, forcefully converted her to Christianity in Abuja, and thereafter impregnated her.
The NSCIA said Ajayi’s antecedents cemented his reputation as a thoroughbred professional who has zero tolerance for religious bigotry, stressing that Ajayi’s penchant for fairness had never been in doubt.
NSCIA’s position was conveyed in an interview with its Secretary General, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, Wednesday in Abuja.
“The antecedents of the DSS Director-General are clear for all to see, and do not portray him as a religious bigot. He is a thoroughbred professional who can be trusted to conduct a thorough investigation to determine the facts of the matter,” he stated.
“In fact, from our investigations, and from the testimonies of those who have worked with the DSS DG, it is clear that the man operates purely on the basis of professionalism. We even hear that his closest sides are Muslims, so fears that he won’t be just and fair in the investigations are clearly unfounded” stated the scribe.
The NSCIA scribe further stated that the Council was also mindful of the sensitivity of the matter, in view of how the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) conducted what he called an unfair trial of a Muslim man from Kano, who, in 2015, was accused of abducting a minor girl from Bayelsa State.
“We do not want to be seen as behaving like the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). In 2015, they instigated what many considered an unfair trial of a Muslim Kano man, Yunusa Dahiru, accused of abducting a Christian girl from Bayelsa State, Ese Oruru.
“Without proper verification, CAN jumped into the matter resulting in the jailing of the Kano man. Till date, the man continues to insist that he iis innocent of the accusations,” said the NSCIA scribe.
He promised that the Council was working with the DSS to resolve the matter and urged restraint on the part of those who might be tempted to exploit the matter to inflame religious passions.
The controversy revolves around Walida Abdulhadi, a young Muslim woman from Jigawa State, who has been romantically involved with a young DSS officer, Ifeanyi Onyewuenyi. The relationship has led to Walida birthing a baby girl.
That aside, Walida’s relatives have accused Ifeanyi of forcefully converting her into Christianity, and changing her name to Chinasa.
The controversy deepened after Weekend Trust published an exclusive interview with Walida. In the interview, Walida, who claimed she is 22, absolved Ifeanyi of any culpability in her ordeal.
She claimed that a certain woman had lured her away from her hometown, Hadejia, in Jigawa State, and brought her to Abuja, and she abandoned her to the elements.
It was in the bid to escape from the hardship her abductor subjected her to, said Walida in the interview, that she met Ifeanyi, who assisted her. In the course of time, she stated, the relationship blossomed leading to her getting pregnant and birthing a child for Ifeanyi.
