A family member of the late President Muhammadu Buhari, Alhaji Hamisu Haro, has disclosed why the grave of the former president was fenced.
recent viral pictures and videos emerged on social media showed how the graveyard where the former president was laid to rest within his Daura country home was fenced.
Governor Dikko Umaru Radda of Katsina State and his entourage were spotted at the entrance of the graveyard.
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commenting on the development, a family member, Alhaji Hamisu Haro, who is in charge of the day-to-day running of the late former President’s house, said the fencing was strictly for security reasons.
He said religious dictates were taken into consideration before the fencing.
He said, apart from the fence within the area, there is also a concrete floor around the rave and a pavement leading towards the area, which could help check the problem of erosion due to rainwater.
He assured that the grave itself has not been changed, considering the religious teachings.
“Considering the time we are in, we felt that there is a need to fence the graveyard, keep it secure, so that whosoever comes to visit would stay out there and offer their prayers, just like what people saw during Governor Radda’s visit recently.
“There was a time some people, out of their sheer admiration for the former president, went and laid some flowers at the grave, without our knowledge, we had to remove those flowers from the place, because it is a practice that contradicts Islamic teachings.
“That is why we thought of fencing the whole area, so that no one will access it without our knowledge,” he said.
However, a Katsina-based Islamic scholar, who preferred anonymity, said, “The bone of contention has to do with the grave itself, how it should be done, and there is a prophetic narration prohibiting decoration, tombstone and so on.
He said, “But regarding fencing, even the place where our noble prophet and two of his companions are lying now is fenced.
“But with regards to decorating the tomb itself, and the tombstone, or in some cases, a metal plate bearing the name of the deceased, the Salaf or Izala sect is very strict about its prohibition, unlike the other sects that highly decorate the tombs of their religious leaders.”
