A coalition of Northern elders on Wednesday dissociated
themselves from recent comments credited to an Islamic cleric, Sheikh Abubakar
Gumi, who had become an emissary for bandits in forests across Kaduna, Zamfara,
Katsina, and Niger States.
In one of such meetings, he alleged that non-Muslim soldiers
had carried out orchestrated killings in some communities, precipitating anger.
“What I want you people to understand is, soldiers that are
involved in most of the criminalities are not Muslims. You know, soldiers have
Muslims and none Muslims. The non-Muslims are the ones causing confusion just
to ignite a crisis,” he told a delegation led by the Secretary to the Niger
State Government on a negotiation mission for the release of the kidnapped
Kagara students.
But the elders under the aegis of North East Elders for
Peace and Development said Gumi’s allegations were not a representation of the
position of the region, saying the public must see the same as “his personal
sentiments”.
While urging the general public to discountenance the
allegations, the NEEPD in a statement by its Coordinator, Zana Goni, vowed to
resist attempts by any individual or group to profile the military.
According to them, the need for prominent groups and
organisations in the North to condemn Gumi’s dangerous claims had become
necessary, in order not to give the impression that he was speaking for the
region.
By his statement, the said Gumi may be justifying armed
banditry and all that was associated with the crime.
They wondered why an Islamic cleric and scholar, who had
taken the initiative to discuss with bandits, would end up taking sides, as his
statements suggest.
The NEEPD said, “As Northern elders committed to a united
and indivisible nation, we hasten to condemn in very strong terms the
allegations made against the Nigerian military by one of our leading Islamic
scholars, Sheikh Abubakar Gumi
“We rise in one voice to dissociate ourselves from the
dangerous and divisive allegations levelled against our patriotic soldiers by
Sheikh Gumi, in one of his missions to meet with bandits in a forest around
Niger State.
“Ordinarily, we would have commended the Sheikh for daring
to do what authorities failed, but for the profiling comments attributed to
him, which we consider abhorrent and unhelpful to national development and
peace.
“We warn that comments such as this have the potential of
pitting the exposed soldiers against general areas in the North, where they
have continued to put down their lives to protect the territorial integrity of
the nation from those that seek to violate it.
“Our concern is further hinged on the possibility of the
world concluding that the North may be offering tacit endorsement to banditry
and associated crimes against society.
“To douse this tension, therefore, we call on relevant
authorities, including prominent individuals and groups from the North,to
condemn Gumi’s position in a manner that will absolve the region of conspiracy
and vicarious liability, in the long run
“In whatever position we find ourselves, we must, at all
material times, endeavour to put the collective interest of Nigeria over and
above all other considerations, bearing in mind the fact that when the country
collapses, it will do so on all of us, regardless of religion, ethnicity, or
belief.
“Lastly, we urge Gumi to stop approbating and reprobating at
the same time, and to immediately call-off his mission, if he has developed
lethargy in the course of undertaking visits to deep forests.”
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