Kaduna lawmakers pass controversial bill to regulate preaching

Kaduna State House of Assembly on Friday passed the controversial Religious Preaching Regulation Law 1984.

The passage of the law by the lawmakers came few minutes  before the fifth assembly was dissolved by the Speaker of the House Aminu Abdullahi Shagali.

Presiding over the plenary,  Speaker, Aminu Abdullahi Shagali, while reading the bill,   said a state inter-faith regulatory council has been established with a chairman to be appointed by the Governor on the recommendation of the Secretary to the state Government.

He also said  two members representing the Christian and Muslim faith  are to be  appointed by the Governor among others respectively.

He  mentioned that the bill when signed into law stipulates that in each of the 23 local Government areas of the state, a committee to be known as the Local Government Inter-faith Committee has to be established

‎The bill states that any person who plays religious cassette or uses  a  loud speaker for religious purposes between the hours of 11pm and 4am in a public place, and uses a loudspeaker for religious purposes other than inside a church or mosque commits an offence and shall on conviction be liable to imprisonment for a term of not less than two years or pay a fine of less than N200,000 or both.

The bill adds that any person who publicly insults or seeks to incite, contempt any religion, by making false statement in such a manner as to be likely to lead to a breach of peace, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term of not less than five years,  a fine of not less than N100,000 or both

The passage of the bill into law  came three years after the bill faced serious setback from different religious bodies and individuals in the state.

The law will be sent to governor Nasir El-Rufai for assent.