Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, has sent a bill to the State House of Assembly to regulate religious preaching across the state.

The bill titled, “A bill for a law to substitute the Kaduna State religious preaching law, 1984”, is also aimed at banning the usage of loudspeaker for religious purposes “other than inside a Mosque or Church and the surrounding areas outside the stipulated prayer times.”

Governor el-Rufai in the bill wants the Assembly to enact the law that will stop the playing or circulating of “all cassettes, CDs, flash drives or any other communication gadgets containing religious recordings from accredited preachers other than inside one’s house, porch, Church, Mosque and other designated place of worship.”

The bill seeks to ban sales or playing of any cassette containing “religious recordings in which abusive language is used against any person or religious organisation or religious leaders (past or present).”

The bill, if passed into law, will prohibit the sale of religious books, usage of abusive and derogatory terms in describing any religion.

The bill proposes that any person found guilty of preaching without a valid licence and other offences under the law “shall be liable to two years in prison or pay a fine of N200,000.”

Sharia courts and customary courts under the bill if past into law, shall have the jurisdiction to try violators. (LEADERSHIP)

•Photo shows Governor el-Rufai.