Nigeria Research Network (NRN) Oxford Department of International Development Queen Elizabeth House University of Oxford NRN BACKGROUND PAPER NO. 8 Muslims of Benue State: A Survey Ustaz Khalid Muhammad Ibrahim* January 2012 Acknowledgements The author gratefully acknowledges financial support from the Islam Research Programme - Abuja, funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The views presented in this paper represent those of the author and are in no way attributable to the Ministry. * Ustaz Khalid Muhammad Ibrahim, an indigene of Benue State, obtained his B.A. in Islamic Studies at the University of Ilorin in 2007, with a long essay on “Administration of Hajj Exercise: A Case Study of Kogi State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board”. He is a Welfare Officer with the Kogi State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, and a Part-Time Lecturer at the School of Preliminary Studies, Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja. He has just commenced studies toward the M.A. in Islamic Studies at Kogi State University, Anyigba. NRN Background Paper No. 8 Abstract This paper focuses principally on the characteristics of the main Islamic communities, groups and actors in Benue State. It also focuses on the dynamics of interfaith relations between Muslim groups and Christians in Benue State. In carrying out the above, certain factors are outlined as follows: Brief on the categories of Muslims in Benue State; Islamic scholars in Benue State; Islamic education in Benue State, i.e. traditional Qur’anic schools and Islamiyya primary and secondary schools and tertiary institutions; Islam, politics and government in Benue State; Muslim organisations in Benue State; and Government agencies, boards and commissions as they relate with the Muslims. Table of Contents 1. Preamble 3 2. Background on Benue State 3 3. Categories of Muslims in Benue State 4 3.1. Main divisions 4 3.2. Sunnis 4 3.2.1. Sufis 4 3.2.2. Anti-Sufis (Izala and Salafiyyun) 5 3.2.3. Neither Sufis nor anti-Sufis 5 3.2.4. Muslim communities like Darul Islam in Niger State 5 3.3. Current state of relations among the various categories of Muslims 5 4. Education 5 4.1. Traditional Qur’anic education 5 4.2. Islamiyya schools 5 4.3. Government primary and secondary schools 6 4.4. Tertiary education 6 5. Politics and government 7 5.1. Traditional rulerships 7 5.2. Attitudes among the Muslims towards the Nigerian constitution 7 5.3. Do Muslims have distinctive party affiliations? 7 5.4. Muslims in elective office 7 5.5. Government pursuance of Muslim agendas 8 6. Muslim organisations 8 6.1. Government agencies devoted to Muslim matters 8 6.2. Overview of Muslim non-governmental organisations 8 6.3. Primary non-governmental organisations 9 6.4. Umbrella organisations 9 6.5. Further details on three organisations 9 6.5.1. The Da’wah Group 9 6.5.2. The Council of Imams and Ulama 10 6.5.3. Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN) 10 7. Notable individuals 11 7.1. Ustaz Sulaiman Abdurrahman. 11 7.2. Sheikh Muhammadu Madugu 11 7.3. Imam Ahmad Mustapha Alifeti 12 7.4. Malam Abubakar Umar Aguda 12 8. Selection of interviewees and Islamic Organisations 13 9. List of interviews conducted. 13 2 NRN Background Paper No. 8 1 PREAMBLE 1.1 The research programme focuses on strategic and politically relevant states in contemporary Northern Nigeria for a better understanding of the large population of Muslims of various affiliations. 1.2 This research focuses principally on the characteristic of the main Islamic communities, groups and actors in Benue State. It also focuses on the dynamics of interfaith relations between Muslim groups and Christians in Benue State. 1.3 In carrying out the above, certain factors are outlined as follows: a) Brief on the categories of Muslims in Benue State. b) Islamic scholars in Benue State. c) Islamic education in Benue State, i.e. traditional Qur’anic schools and Islamiyya primary and secondary schools and tertiary institutions. d) Islam, politics and government in Benue State. e) Muslim organisations in Benue State. f) Government agencies, boards and commissions as they relate with the Muslims. 2 BACKGROUND ON BENUE STATE 2.1 Benue State is located in the North Central zone of Nigeria. It was created on February 3, 1978 by the then military regime of General Murtala Mohammed. It was created out of the old Benue-Plateau State and old Kwara State. The state derives its name from River Benue, the most prominent geographical feature in the state. The present day Benue has twenty two local governments. 2.2 Benue State occupies 34,059 square kilometres with population strength of 4,291,244 (2006 population census). The state is an agrarian society and also acclaimed as “The Food Basket of the Nation”. It shares boundaries with six states namely: Nasarawa, to the north, Taraba to the east, Cross River, Ebonyi and Enugu to the south, and Kogi to the west. 2.3 The state has seven main ethnic groups each with a distinct cultural heritage, they are; Tiv, Idoma, Igede, Etulo, Utono, Akpa and Igala. The Tiv constitute the majority population. The people of Benue State hold their cultural heritage in high esteem. They celebrate festivals by way of exhibiting masquerades accompanied with drums and dances which give them colourful celebration. Non-indigenes live with them in the state peacefully. Some of the non-indigenes living in the state are: Igala from Kogi State, Hausa/Fulani, Igbo, Yoruba, Ijaw, Nupe etc. 3 NRN Background Paper No. 8 Map of Benue State1 3 CATEGORIES OF MUSLIMS IN BENUE STATE 3.1 Main Divisions 3.1.1 Benue State is significantly noted to be Sunnis. However, there are handfuls of Shias and Ahmadis. These minority groups are mostly found in Makurdi and Otukpo. The majority of the Shias and Ahmadis are the Hausa/Fulani, Yoruba and other immigrants to the state, who come to pursue their livings as petty trading and service renderers like barbing, achaba riders, breaking of firewood, water vendors and students. 3.1.2 According to the 1963 population census, the percentage of Muslims in Benue State was 4.9% of the total population. The 2006 population census did not emphasise the issue of religion because the Federal Government had the fear of its political implication in relation to the peaceful co-existence in Nigeria. By my estimation, the present population of the Muslims in Benue State is about 6% of the total population, considering migration, mobility of labour, and some conversions among the indigenes, among other factors. 3.2 Sunnis 3.2.1 Sufis The Sufi group constitutes a larger percentage of the Sunni Muslims in Benue State. By my estimate they constitute 75% of the Muslims. They are concentrated in 1 From http://www.benuestate.gov.ng/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14&Itemid=29. 4 NRN Background Paper No. 8 Makurdi, Otukpo, Gboko, Katsina-Ala and Agatu Local Government Areas. Except in Agatu Local Government, where significant numbers of the indigenes are Sufis, the rest are Igalas of Kogi State, Hausa/Fulani, Yoruba and Nupe settlers. Most of them are farmers, petty traders and service renders as mentioned in para. 3.1.1. The Tijaniyya are the dominant group among the Sufis in Benue State. This is clear, because nearly all the Jumu'at Masjids are under their control. 3.2.2 Anti-Sufis (Izala and Salafiyyun) This group is made up mostly of non-indigenes, like the Igala of Kogi State, Hausa/Fulani, and a handful of indigenous members. They are mostly civil servants, teachers, bankers and traders who go out for their daily needs. They constitute perhaps 20% of the population of the Muslims in Benue State. 3.2.3 Neither Sufis nor anti-Sufis These are liberal Muslims who do not follow any opinion about Sufi or anti-Sufi. They are Muslims and that is all. They are petty traders, students and civil servants. This group constitutes about 5% of the population of Muslims in the state. 3.2.4 Muslim communities like Darul Islam in Niger State In Benue State, no settlement can be found identifiable to any Muslim group. However, certain areas within some towns are densely populated by the Muslims. Places like Ipu-Igeli (Hausa Quarters) in Otukpo town, Abakpa Quarters in Oyangede town in Ohimini Local Government Area, Wadata Area in Makurdi, Sabon-Gari in Katsina-Ala town and indigenous villages like Ogule in Agatu Local Government Area and Alifeti in Apa Local Government Area are known as Muslim dominated areas. 3.3 Current state of relations among the various categories of Muslims My survey shows that the relationships among the various groups of Muslims are cordial. For example, Councils of Imams and Ulama are constituted by the various groups of Muslims in the state without discrimination. Their relationships have been very harmonious. 4 EDUCATION 4.1 Traditional Qur’anic education 4.1.1 The traditional Qur’anic education is stratified into two levels. There is the pre- primary level call kutab known in Hausa as makaranta allo i.e. a situation where a portion of the Qur’an is written on the slate for the learners to practice until he/she can recite and write the Qur’an. It is usually being supervised by the teacher of the Qur’an known ‘Alfa’ or ‘Malam’. This stage is not more than ‘parrot reading’ of the Qur’an without knowing its meaning and commentary. In many Muslim homes, every child is expected to complete the ‘parrot reading’ of the Qur’an before full attention can be given to Western education.