The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has warned against
trivialising crimes committed by bandits and herders.
Quoting the Qur’an, the group listed the punishments for
bandits to include either execution or crucifiction, cutting off their hands
and legs from opposite sides or sending them into exile.
It is no longer news that Kaduna based Islamic cleric has
been defending the bandits, insisting that they are not criminals despite their
atrocities.
During an interview on Arise Television programme earlier this week, Gumi said that government security agencies must stop killing bandits, adding that they are victims too.
But in a statement signed by Professor Ishaq Akintola, the
director of MURIC, the organisation warned against trivialising crimes
committed by bandits.
The group warned against making excuses for the crimes
committed by these bandits across the country, calling on the Islamic cleric to
rather educate the public on the position of the Shariah regarding banditry.
“We should also let the bandits know the gravity of their
crimes and the ‘kabiirah’ status of their sins,” MURIC added.
MURIC noted that banditry is categorised in Islam as waging
unprovoked war against the people, Allah and the great Prophet Muhammad.
“It says, ‘The punishment of those who wage war against
Allah and His Messenger by spreading evil and committing atrocities in the land
is either execution, or crucifiction or cutting off their hands and legs from
opposite sides or sending them into exile. That is their disgrace in this world
and a heavy punishment awaits them in the Hereafter’ (Qur’an 5:33).
“Note should be taken of the promise of ‘heavy punishment’
for bandits even after death. It is for this reason that we are calling on all
Islamic scholars in the country to boldly rise to the task and interprete the
Shariah in a befitting manner.
The Islamic human rights group called on all bandits to
surrender to the state governments wherever they are operating without any form
of negotiations.
“We therefore reiterate our call on all bandits and herdsmen
who are traumatising Nigerians in Zamfara, Ondo, Ekiti, Enugu, Yobe, etc, to
surrender without delay,” MURIC said.
“The atrocities committed by bandits and criminal herdsmen
in all parts of the country should be fiercely confronted by state governments.
“Nigeria today is being slowly strangulated by two
extremists, namely, those who idolise bandits and those who demonise
ethnicities. Both groups are two extremes that must be deradicalised as quickly
as possible.”
Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra
(IPOB) had earlier accused Gumi of being the brain behind banditry, kidnapping
and high rise of terrorism in the country.
Kanu was responding to Gumi’s claim that the secessionist
group was killing security operatives in the Southeast while bandits only
abducted students for money.
Also, a former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode had
berated Sheikh Gumi after the Islamic scholar asked the government to stop
killing bandits.
Gumi had warned against the killing of bandits by security,
calling on the government to negotiate with bandits or expect more kidnapping
of students from schools in the North West.
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