Palpable tension is brewing in Nasarawa community, a suburb in Chikun Local Government of Kaduna State when a lslamic cleric, Abubakar Sani slaughtered dog meat to celebrate his son’s birth, Nigerian Tribune reports.

When the news spread in the community, irate youths stormed his house and partly destroyed it before a detachment of security personnel deployed to the troubled community saved him from further hostilities.

Speaking in an interview, the councillor of the troubled community, Adamu Muhammad who confirmed the incident said, “Some aggrieved youths stormed the residence of the cleric when they found out that he slaughtered two dogs.

“We told them that even if it is true, they can’t take the law into their hands. We are always trying to maintain law and order”, he stressed.

Speaking in an interview, the Cleric, Abubakar Sani insisted that there’s nowhere in the Qur’an where it was mentioned that no one should not eat dog. Citing many verses to back, he said what he did was based on his understanding of the religious book.

Speaking in the same vein, one of his students, Ismail Abubakar Rijana contended that the holy Qur’an does not prohibit Muslims from eating dog meat, insisting that “we are Muslims and followers of the Quran. we equally believe in the Quran as a religious book.

Adding, “the way we practice Islamic religion is different from how others practice it. We understand that people are not happy with us. So, based on our knowledge of the Quran, no verse prohibits the eating of dogs. However, we are ready to change and ask Allah for forgiveness if we are convinced by verses in the Quran that what we did is wrong.”

Speaking on the controversy, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Mansir Hassan said the sanity has been restored in the community following the deployment of security personnel. He said the police are investigating the incident.

Meanwhile, members of the community who spoke to newsmen while condemning his actions, said what the said cleric did was against Islamic practice.

Ibrahim Garba, a youth in the community remarked,”this is a Muslim community. We all know that it is prohibited to eat dog meat in our religion. We will not allow such practice to persist.”

Another resident who pleaded for anonymity posited that, “we saw some youths moving with two dogs, only to find out later that the cleric slaughtered the animals to celebrate his son’s birth.”

There’s no doubt he slaughtered the animals and shared it with his students, he stressed.

However, since the incident, some Islamic clerics have started reacting to the development, one of such clerics is the renowned Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi who condemned the eating of dog meat.

He remarked that “there are two rulings on the issue of eating dog meat. The Prophet(SAW) prohibited the eating of all animals that hunt or have canine teeth, which dogs have.”

“So it is prohibited, but in another school of thought, as practised around the Iraq region, it is disliked. But for the ones we follow, the Prophet(SAW) forbade eating dogs, so literally, people don’t eat dogs here. So when you come and introduce such a different practice, it will create reactions, especially when associated with Islamic rites like naming ceremonies.”

“This is because Islam only permits four animals for religious rites: camel, cattle, sheep or goat. Any other animal, even if it’s halal like a hen or ostrich, is not allowed to be used for religious sacrifice.”

“So their actions are un-Islamic and provocative. They provoke the general Ummah of Malik School of thought which says it is forbidden to eat dog meat.”