The Anbariya Sunni Community in Tamale has endorsed controversial preacher Abdul Rauf Musah, amidst widespread condemnation for his inflammatory sermons that allegedly radicalise and incite young people to violence. The community has warned the police to avoid arresting Musah, implying potential unrest if their warnings are ignored.

Afa Rauf’s hardline preaching reportedly provoked young people in Kakpagyili to take the law into their own hands, attacking and burning the properties of a resident falsely accused of killing two school children. These children had been missing for weeks before their bodies were discovered in a stationary car near the home of the accused. Police investigations later revealed the man’s innocence.

The incident has led to the arrest and remand of two individuals, including a radio presenter who propagated the false news and the Assemblyman for the Kakpagyili area, who led the youth in vandalizing the properties of the falsely accused man.

During a press conference on Tuesday in Tamale, a deputy Khalifa of the Tijanniya Council demanded the arrest of Afa Abdul Rauf, accusing him of inciting violence against Preachers of different sects, leading to the destruction of properties.

However, in a counter press conference on Wednesday, the youth of the Ambariyya Sunni sect expressed unwavering support for Rauf, claiming his words were misinterpreted. They asserted that the preacher’s calls for violence were directed not at Imams belonging to other sects, but at fraudulent mallams and ritualists. The youth warned the police to avoid actions against their imam if they wished to maintain peace in Tamale.

“We want to indicate that we are unfazed by threats of arrest and to state categorically without mincing words that we cannot lose a second of Afa Abdul Rauf’s freedom to the police custody ultra vires their mandate vis a vis the wishful, capricious and whimsical desires of Afa Amin Sawaaba and his ilk,” stated Ahmed Hajaj Alhassan during the press conference to the thunderous shouts of Allahu Akbar by fellow students and Imams of the Anbariya Sunni Community.

The Imam’s hardline preachings, widely shared on social media platforms, have attracted significant attention, with calls for his banishment to prevent further destabilization of the peace in the Tamale. He is known for urging his followers to purchase guns for protection and use them against those who disagree with him.�

He is also on record to have condemned the time-tested tradition of young people bowing or squatting to greet parents or the elderly. Even though, this is practice among people of the Northern Ghana is a mark of showing reverence, Rauf labelled it haram, saying only Allah deserves to be shown such reverence.