The Muslim community in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State on Thursday raised an alarm over the proposed closure of the Zaria road cemetery.

 The cemetery, located along Zaria Road, is divided into Muslim and Christian sections.

City & Crime reports that the state Commissioner of Land, Survey, and Town Planning, Barr. Nyam Peter Gai, has inaugurated a committee on the issue and urged it to carry out its assignment with diligence. 

But reacting to the development, the Muslim community expressed concerns during this year’s commemorative prayers for the victims of the 2008 crisis at the Jos Central Mosque.

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They said the concern was informed by the decision of the state government to set up a committee that will provide an alternative burial ground within the Bukur-Jos metropolis. 

Stakeholders from the community warned that removing the corpses from the cemetery to another burial ground goes against Islamic principles and called on the government to reconsider the proposal. 

Barrister Lawal Ishak, one of the stakeholders in the community, expressed concerns about the proposed plan, citing the lack of religious leaders on the committee. 

He said, “We have buried our brothers, sisters, religious and spiritual leaders at the cemetery. We cannot simply remove the dead and transfer them to another location. There are principles guiding our actions. We urge the state government to critically review the proposal.”