Abubakar Manzo Questions the Militarisation of Religious Spaces in Nigeria

Why are we so obsessed with military uniforms and paramilitary drills in our churches and mosques?

You go to a religious event or a regular Juma'a or Sunday service, and you see men dressed like a quasi military with military titles like Commander etc working as mosque security and ushers and during religious occasions you see mostly teenagers doing aggressive commando marches, wearing berets, and combat boots. Some of these kids are even taught to march while holding wooden guns! For what exactly?

This is true for all religious groups in Nigeria though more prevalent among Muslims. Izala has ƴan agaji, Ɗariƙa has fityanu youth, the Shia are worse culprit in this with their Hurras! The Christian has the likes of the Catholic "Man of Order and Discipline" (M.O.D) and various church brigades, all posing as first aid and coordination groups!

If you are a ɗan agaji, for first aid your uniform supposed to be a simple reflective jacket and or a smart polo shirt, and your primary tool should be a first aid box, not a wooden gun. If you are an usher, a traffic coordinator, or internal security for a church or mosque, a simple branded polo shirt, jeans, and a reflective jacket are more than enough to keep order and stay visible.

Nigeria is already dealing with too much security tension. We cannot be breeding a culture of religious soldiers and military mindsets in our children under the guise of religious volunteering. If an extremist faction takes over a religious institution, an already-disciplined, uniform-wearing youth wing can easily be converted into a functional, weaponized militia.

A serious government should ban the combat-style elements. Religious organizations by keeping a professional civil oriented uniform can achieve the benefits of structure without the dangerous undertones of militarism. We can have titles like Team Leader, Manager etc instead of Commander. There is pride in being a civilian too!