Residents of the Federal Capital Territory were put through a hard time on Friday and Saturday as members of the Tijjaniya Islamic sect locked down major parts of Abuja while celebrating Maulud Nabiyy, the birth of Prophet Muhammed.
The sect members from all over the north literally took over major streets in the Central Business District as they parked their vehicles indiscriminately on the roads and set up camps right on the expressways.
The Muslim faithfuls were said to have celebrated the Maulud at the National Mosque on Friday, but motorists and residents had to contend with serious discomfort as the visitors shut down the major roads and streets around the mosque.
The Independence Avenue and other adjoining streets were blocked by the sect members, while guards at the Sheraton Hotel, Wuse, had a hectic time dissuading the sect members from camping in front of the hotel.
The entrance to the Craft market located adjacent the hotel, was taken over by hordes of sect members who turned the open space into a sleeping area.
Also, the road leading to the Shehu Yar’Adua Centre was completely sealed by the Tijjaniya members, some of whom were selling souvenirs, religious memorabilia and mementos.
Some daring youths rode dangerously on motorcycles as they drove against the traffic weaving around the people and risking lives and limbs.
Speaking, the Chief Imam of Markaz Faidal Islamic Foundation, Suleja Niger State, Shiek Abubakar Musa Kwamba, said the event was also in commemoration of the birthday of leader of the Tijanniya sect Sheik Ibrahim Nyass.
He said the delegations across the world that graced the occasion show the importance of the maulud celebration and the place of Nigeria in the world.
Dignitaries at the event include the Grand Khalifa of Tijjaniyya order worldwide and son of late Sheik Ibrahim Nyass, Sheikh Ahmad Tijjanni Nyass from Senegal, Minister of Education Mallam Adamu Adamu who represented President Muhammadu Buhari, representatives of Nasarawa and Niger states governors, representative of Sultan of Sokoto, a former House of Representatives Speaker Ghali Umar Na’aba, among others.
Some of the countries whose entourage attended the event were Morocco, Senegal Tanzania, Egypt, Libya, Britain, Germany and some European countries.
Meanwhile, residents of the FCT lamented the lock-down of the territory over the event.
A motorist who simply identified herself as Laban, said the security personnel should have insisted on managing the traffic situation.
By Saturday, the sect members were leaving the city after their celebration, with many of them loaded in the trunks of cars and in lorries.
Their convoy caused a serious gridlock as many of the vehicles broke down and had to be pushed.
A car conveying about eight sect members also crashed along the Kubwa-Zuba expressway with one of the occupants sustaining a leg injury.
The police could not be reached for comment on the blockade of the roads by the sect members as the FCT police spokesman, Anjuguri Manzah did not respond to phone calls.
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