Abuja cleric rearrested over land issue

An Abuja-based Islamic cleric, Muhammad Alkwandawi, popularly known as Sarkin Malamai, has spent 20 days in detention after his rearrest by soldiers.

Sources, who spoke to City & Crime in Dei-Dei and Dakwa areas where he resides and maintains an office respectively, lamented that the cleric had so far spent about 20 days in detention without bail or charge.

It was gathered that Alkwandawi, who has been having a running case with one Ali Zuma, aka, Maigidan-Dambe, over a land he uses as a local sport centre in Dei-Dei, was arrested and taken to the Zuma Military Barracks, located in Tafa LGA of Niger State and was later transferred to a military cantonment in Abuja before being handed over to the FCT Police Command about a week ago.

An ally of the cleric, who preferred to remain anonymous, told our reporter yesterday that the cleric’s new ordeal was linked to a statement released by a suspected bandit, who allegedly linked himself to the cleric.

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He said there was a move to give out Alkwandawi on bail, starting from Monday, but that the date kept changing, with no progress so far. Efforts to speak to the FCT Police Command’s spokeswoman, SP Josephine Adeh, on the issue were not successful.