The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, on Tuesday invoked the wrath of God on those behind the recent terror attacks in Maiduguri, Borno State, praying that Allah should uproot the culprits from the surface of the earth if they fail to follow the right path.

Shettima, who spoke during the closing of the Annual Ramadan Tafsir at the State House Mosque, Abuja, prayed to Almighty Allah to grant the souls of those killed in the terror attack in Maiduguri eternal rest, reward them with Aljannah Firdaus, and give their families the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.

The visibly enraged vice president expressed grief over the death of 25 persons killed in multiple explosions in different locations across Maiduguri on Monday.

He pointed out that no religion sanctions the killing of innocent lives, as the sanctity of human life remains a core tenet of major world faiths.

Praying to Almighty Allah to also vanish all agents of terror from the surface of the earth, the VP said, “May the lives of the innocent souls—25 of them—that lost their lives in Maiduguri last evening rest in peace. May Allah grant their souls eternal rest and reward them with Aljannah Firdaus, and may Allah also grant their families the fortitude to bear the irreparable losses.

“May Allah bring this madness to an end. No religion sanctions the killing of the innocent. Whatever is motivating them, may Allah either guide them onto the right path or may Allah vanish them from the surface of the earth.”

He emphasised the need for all Nigerians to continue to pray for the country across every sector, as well as pray that the Almighty should continue to grant President Bola Tinubu and members of his team wisdom, courage, sincerity, and equity in service.

He noted that each season of Ramadan reminds Muslims of a truth that power often tries to hide from man: no seat is permanent, just as no office is ultimate and no human being stands above his dependence on his Creator.

Shettima said, “In the presence of Allah, the distance between the mighty and the unknown vanishes. What remains is character; what remains is accountability; what remains is what we did with the trust placed in our hands.

“This is why gatherings such as this matter. They rescue public lives from arrogance; they retain the soul at scale; they teach those entrusted with authority that the nation is not built by policy alone but by conscience; not by proclamation alone but by restraint; not by ambition alone but by fear of Allah.”

The VP called on the Muslim faithful to continue to live by the teachings and lessons of the month of Ramadan, as the final days of Ramadan begin to slip through their fingers.

“The question before us is not whether Ramadan is ending. The question is whether its teachings will continue to live in us after the moon has changed.

“It is quite easy to keep the head bowed when the atmosphere is charged with devotion. The harder task is to carry it into ordinary days, into the market, into the office, into the home, into the chamber of power, and into the private corners where only Allah sees what we are doing,” he noted.

While drawing from the lessons of Ramadan, the Vice President said the holy month had taught the Muslim faithful that pity without mercy is noise and worship without service is incomplete.

“So, as we close this year’s Tafsir, let us not return to the habits that weaken our common lives; let us not go back to bitterness, to reckless speech, to indifference dressed as sophistication. A believer doesn’t spend the whole month learning only to become a captive again of anger, greed, and division.

“Nigeria needs homes where children encounter good examples before good advice. Nigeria indeed needs leaders in every sphere who understand that influence is a trust, not a licence,” VP Shettima said.

He paid glowing tribute to the Chief Imam of the State House Mosque, Sheikh Abdulwaheed Suleiman Abubakar, and his lieutenants for conducting the Tafsir with wisdom and calm hearts.

Earlier, the Chief Imam prayed for sustainable peace and development in Nigeria and the success of the Tinubu administration’s policies and programmes.

The cleric emphasised the need for leaders at all levels to continue to discharge their responsibilities with the fear of Allah for the progress and development of the country. (Vanguard)

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