THERE is fear is Nasarawa State, following the emergence of a new sect known as Hakika, operating in Total Local Government Area of the state. The group, with members claiming to be Islamist saints, is currently occupying a large expanse of the forest in the area. At a meeting in Lafia, Alhaji Isah Agwai, the Emir of Lafia, who is also the Chairman of the State Traditional Council of Chiefs, expressed dismay over the activities of the group and cautioned residents to be wary. In an interview, the Secretary General of the state Ja’martu Nasil Islam, Ahmed Ali, said the doctrines of the group are not Islamic, saying “they have the kind of religious belief which I think is not Islam; they don’t believe in Quran, they don’t believe in any of the doctrines that Allah talked about in the Quran.”
Reacting in an interview, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Security Matters, Brigadier General Muhammad Adika(retd), said: “It is believed that some of them are those running away from Zamfara State as a result of the pressure and have concentrated themselves in an expanse of land which is highly forested.” Commenting on the development, the state Police Command confirmed the development and said investigation has commen-ced on the emergence of the religious sect. The state Acting Police Public Relations Officer, Ismaila Usman, told Vanguard that the State Traditional Council of Chiefs had also confirmed the existence of the sect in Toto Local Government Area of the state.
