A prominent Islamic organisation in Zamfara State has condemned the events that characterised the celebration of Governor Dauda Lawal’s second year in office.
The Zamfara Ulama Defence Forum, ZUDF, in a statement made available to newsmen in Gusau, the state capital on Friday, 30 May, 2025, expressed deep concern over what it termed “an orchestrated reintroduction of vices” into a state widely known for its commitment to Islamic law and traditional values.
According to the group, the anniversary event held in the state capital featured musical performances accompanied by skimpily dressed female dancers, and the open consumption of alcoholic beverages, acts considered unacceptable under Islamic law and cultural norms in Zamfara.
The president of the group, Sheikh Bashir Mu’azu Marafa, said the scenes that unfolded at the celebration were “unthinkable” in a state that pioneered the implementation of Sharia law in Nigeria.
“It is both unfortunate and shameful that on the second-term anniversary of a sitting governor in a core Islamic state like Zamfara, alcohol was served, and women of questionable character were paraded on public stages in revealing clothes,” the statement reads.
“This is a clear departure from the values we hold dear as a people. Zamfara has long stood as a model for Islamic governance in Nigeria. What happened during that event is nothing short of a betrayal of the trust of the people who expected better from their leaders.”
Sheikh Marafa, a respected Islamic scholar in the state, added that the presence of entertainers on stage with female dancers dressed in body-fitted attire and short skirts would have been enough to spark outrage in any conservative society, let alone in a state like Zamfara where modesty is a fundamental value.
“Zamfara is not Las Vegas. It is a land of honour, a land of religious discipline. For these kinds of immoral scenes to be playing out in broad daylight under the watch of our leaders is a disgrace,” the Islamic cleric said.
The group warned that the incident could signal a dangerous shift that undermines the efforts of Islamic clerics, scholars, and moral reformers who have worked tirelessly to preserve the values of modesty, morality, and spiritual uprightness in the state.
“What message are we sending to our children and the next generation when those at the top are encouraging moral decay in the name of celebration? If this is what the next four years hold, then Zamfara is on a fast path to losing its identity,” he added.
The group also called on Islamic clerics across the state to speak out against what it described as “the creeping secularisation of Zamfara under Governor Lawal’s administration,” adding that silence from religious leaders at this time would amount to complicity.
“We cannot remain silent and watch Zamfara turn into a hub of entertainment and sin. This is a time for the righteous to raise their voices. We are calling on the governor to offer a public apology for this embarrassment and make a clear commitment to restoring the moral sanctity of public events in the state,” the group added.
The forum urged the state house of assembly, traditional institutions, and community-based organisations to demand accountability from the governor and his team on the coordination and content of the celebration.
“Leadership must be guided by wisdom and humility. The optics of that event were poor and have sparked dismay across the Muslim community not just in Zamfara, but across the north,” the statement added.
The group expressed appreciation to members of the public who raised concerns on social media, especially young people in the state who, it said, were “more conscious of what is right and wrong than the officials entrusted with setting the moral tone”.
“The Zamfara Ulama Defence Forum remains committed to protecting the moral integrity of our communities. We will continue to hold those in authority to account, and we will not stop speaking out against actions that threaten our values and identity as a people.”
