JUST IN: Kaduna Government makes law to grant Pastors, Imams license before preaching or Face Imprisonment

Three years after the bill faced serious criticism from different religious bodies and individuals, the Religious Preaching Regulation law, 1984 before the Kaduna State House of Assembly seeking substitution was on Friday passed into law.

The bill was brought to the House since 2016 with the purpose of regulating the religious preaching in Kaduna State for promoting religious harmony and peaceful co-existence amongst the residents of the state was brought to the House since 2016.

Kaduna Assembly Speaker, Alhaji Aminu Abdullahi Shagali said a state inter-faith Regulatory council has been established with a chairman to be appointed by the Governor on the recommendation, while two house members would be appointed by the Governor, among others to hear and determine appeals brought before it arising from the decision of the local government.

When signed into law, the Local Government Inter-faith Committee to be established in each of the 23 local governments areas of the state. The committee shall consider and recommend to state Inter-faith Regulation Council all applications for the grant of licence to religious preachers as well as screen and recommend preachers for the grant of license among other functions.

As stated by the law, any person who plays religious cassette or uses a loud speaker for religious purposes between the hours of 11pm to 4am in a public place, and uses a loudspeaker for religious purposes other than inside Church or Mosque commits an offence and shall pay a fine of not less than N200,000 or conviction be liable to imprisonment for a term of not less than two years.

Also, punishment of five years imprisonment or fine of not less than N100,000 awaits any person who publicly insults or seeks to incite contempt any religion, by making false statements in such a manner as to be likely to lead to a breach of peace.