WARNING TO MOSQUE IMAMS
USEFUL INFORMATION FOR THE MOSQUE/ MUSLIM ASSOCIATION & GROUP ON WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT PRISON NEW CONDITION/LAW.
Let us as a Mosque/ Imam avoid the following so that we don’t get into trouble that can land someone in prison.
1) Don’t guarantee or stand in surety of any loan for people.
2) Don’t introduce businesses and investment schemes from your khutbah/Ta’alim – as you may not know the origin of such business.
3) Don’t do Dua /spiritual healing on people when members of his/her family are not around.
4) Don’t sign bail bonds for people you are not sure of, especially new members or people whose family members you cannot trace or locate.
5) Don’t officiate Nikkah program when their parents have not given consent to the marriage.
6) Don’t hide anyone that the law enforcement agencies have declared wanted in your house or Mosque premises.
7) Don’t force people into marriage – if the marriage have issues, it can land you in prison.
8) Don’t allow sick people to sleep in your house or in Mosque premises. If you must admit them, let it be on the permission of a certified Medical Doctor or let them sign some documents that can extricate you from any blame should anything happen to that sick person.
9) Don’t allow your jamaah or persons use your account number to pass huge amount of money. You could be arrested as an accomplice for advanced fee fraud, money laundering, kidnapping or drug peddling etc.
10) Don’t conduct a Haqiqah of a child whose gestation history you don’t know. What if the child was stolen, kidnapped etc. You could be arrested as an accomplice for kidnapping, child trafficking etc that can land you in serious trouble with prison terms.
11) Don’t bury a corpse that the family are not available with full medical reports and death certificate – especially corpses brought from distant destination.
12) Limit your direct involvement in politics as a spiritual leader; you are supposed to be non – partisan. Don’t be tempted to project political party from your khutbah/Ta’alim, it may land you in serious trouble or prison.
13) Don’t visit a member of a family when the husband or wife or either parent is not around. You may be tempted or implicated in cases that can land you in serious trouble.
14) Don’t allow a woman that has quarrel or issues with the husband or a child that has issues with parents to pass night or remain under your custody. You may be implicated on issues you know nothing about.
15) Don’t take any one to hospital without the family being aware or possibly present.
16) Don’t accommodate any strange person you don’t know or allow into your house/Mosque in the name of hospitality at any time. What if she/ he is trying to escape arrest.
17) Know the kind of relationship you are keeping. Your best friend may be hiding his/her secret deals from you, only to be innocently arrested along side with him or her.
We really need wisdom – the principal thing to be able to manage or keep relationship or handle issues with people now. A lot of Imams and Alfas have innocently in matters of clear conscience fallen victims and destroy their jamaah/Group or sent into undeserved prison terms.
I believe, that can not be our portion but caution is needed in the present life challenges.
God bless you as you take to these few advice.
## Nigerian Correctional Service Document.
