We’re no terrorists, say Islamic clerics arrested by police By LAMBERT TYEM, Abuja Monday, December 29, 2008 The State Security Service (SSS) has set free six foreign nationals arrested recently by the police in Abuja over allegations of being Islamic terrorists. The six Zambians who were arrested by the police in Abuja on the suspicion of recruiting and training terrorists in a mosque in Kuje, Abuja, regained their freedom last week and spoke to newsmen at the weekend in Kuje, Abuja where they are currently carrying out their missionary work. They denied being terrorists and expressed gratitude to the SSS and the police, adding: “At the end, we have been vindicated by the same security agencies that arrested us.” The foreign clerics said they had forgiven the police for the travails they went through in detention. Vali Shoeb Akubar, the leader of the group said: “We are always prepared for all sorts of hardships, arrest as well as detention, because we believe that no one in such position as ours should expect less, stressing that “Even Prophet Mohammed faced greater travails and tribulations among his own people.” The Zambians further explained that they were not terrorists as the police alleged, but Muslim preachers. They explained that on arrival in the country, the State Security Service [SSS] in Kuje had cleared them after screening their documents and other details, but surprisingly, the police still accused them of terrorism and detained them. Against all explanations, the clerics lamented further that the police detectives still doubted their mission and they were eventually taken to the Inspector-General of Police on the orders of the FCT Commissioner Police. “The IGP directed that we should be handed over to SSS for further investigations, but after listening to us, they found nothing incriminating about us,” the Islamic clerics stated. The Zambians, Vali Shoeb Akubar, Abdulaziz Chadat Musa, Muhammad Ali Patel, Abdurrahaman Abbas Patel, Dawood Vali Ahmed and Muhammad Sakil Sadiq as well as their Nigerian guide, Alhaji Bala Mohammed Usman said “it is incumbent on every Muslim to spread the love, kindness, peace as well as every goodness to all nations and that formed the basis of our mission to Nigeria. “Where there is absence of peace, crisis abound and selfishness, of course, is the root cause of conflicts and war in most parts of the world. Our mission is in line with Prophet Mohammed’s command to spread the word of Islam to other Muslims.” We leave our families, dear ones, and businesses to go round the world to preach because it is incumbent on us. Zambia where we come from has less than one per cent population that are Muslims but we practice our faith without molestation,” they explained. ENDS. Join discussion...