Odoh Diego Okenyodo and Abdulraheem Aodu
13 October 2007
Kaduna — An Upper Shari'ah Court in Tudun Wada, Kaduna, last Tuesday upheld an order restraining civil rights activist Malam Shehu Sani from staging a play from his new book titled The Phantom Crescent.
This was the outcome of suit brought before the court by Members of Concerned Shari'ah Forum, a Kaduna-based group.
Aside from stopping the drama on Northern governors' Shari'ah practice the suit stopped the leader of the Socialist Front (SF) and Northern Civil Rights Society Coalition (NCRSC) from circulating the 52-page book.
The Plaintiff, and leader of Members of Concerned Shari'ah Forum (MCSF), Alhaji Abdullahi Mohammed, in a motion ex parte, had urged the Upper Shari'ah Court to issue an order restraining Malam Sani, "himself, servant, agents or privies from, selling or in any way circulating the book titled, 'The Phantom Crescent'."
The plaintiff also asked the court to issue "other orders as this honourable court may deem fit in the circumstances to prevent the defendant from circulating the book or staging a play on the practice of Shari'ah in the Northern states."
On October 9, 2007 during the hearing on the suit with number C/No/USC/TW/KD356/2007 Shehu Sani's lawyer Barrister Mohammed Sanusi argued that no claims were made by the plaintiff and that the motion on notice was not served on his client. Sanusi also argued that his client did not receive fair hearing since no evidence was brought before the court, neither did the Shari'ah court judge, Alkali Mustapha Umar, read the book before acceding to the motion restraining the author from selling his publication. He also contended that the author acted in accordance with the right to free speech which is guaranteed by the Constitution and prayed the court to lift the order. Ruling on the matter is slated for Monday, 15th October.
Sani had sent letters of invitation to the public for the drama planned to be staged at the Gamji Gate on October 13 2007 before receiving the Shari'ah court summon asking him to stay action. The content of the play, specifically talks about the intrigues and politics involved in the implementation of Shari'ah law, while exposing the inadequacies of the public officers in the Northern states where the legal code is practised and how they "used Shari'ah for their political advantages."
The work of fiction is based on the circumstances surrounding implementation of Shari'ah in an unnamed state by the lead character known as Governor Yerima and social imbalance that followed it. Governor Yerima is portrayed in some scene selectively approving amputation and stoning to death for Buba Jangebe and Safiya, respectively, while sparing Bala Dainna, deputy chairman of the governor's party.
There is a revolt led by Aminu, leader of the Redemption Front, who tells his excited followers: "They said it is against Shari'ah to take alcohol, while most of them take it. They said it is against Shari'ah to patronise prostitutes while most of them do it. They said it is illegal to engage in gambling while most of them do it. They said we cannot listen to music or dance, while most of them do. Today is the end of their hypocrisy."
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