BY LINUS CHIBUIKE
THE Coalition of Northern Groups has warned the Nigerian Army not to disrespect renowned Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, noting that the criticism and vicious attack on him have only given the criminals a greenlight to continue their odious activities.
The Coalition said it expected the military and other security agencies to provide Gumi with the necessary support to achieve the needed result against banditry, if they were actually serious in discharging their primary assignment of securing the lives and properties of citizens.
CNG added that the failure of the security agencies to check insecurity led to the necessary intervention by the cleric, and alleged that with the latest move against him, they were only trying to divert the public’s attention from their inadequacies.
These positions were made public in a statement signed by CNG’s Director of Research, Ahmad Abubakar Khalid, on Wednesday, titled, “We won’t accept any form of disrespect and intimidation from the Nigerian military towards Dr. Gumi”.
According to the CNG, Gumi voluntarily risked his life for the restoration of peace and stability in troubled parts of the nation and should not be vilified.
THE POINT had reported that the Army warned Gumi not to drag its image to disrepute with controversial comments.
It said while it would not want to join issues with the Sheikh, it was, however, important to restate that the Nigerian Army as a national institution “does not deploy its troops along ethnic or religious lines.”
Gumi and “other opinion merchants” were cautioned in a statement signed by the Director of Public Relations of the Army, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Yerima.
The statement was released following a recent comment by Gumi that armed bandits were being killed by non-Muslim soldiers, which had sparked outrage across the country.
But Gumi had replied, saying he was misunderstood.
The CNG said, “The Nigerian military and other security agencies failed in their cardinal responsibility of protecting the lives and properties of the citizenry by combating the serial heinous acts of killings, banditry, kidnapping and insurgency rocking the nation, especially the North.
“Their failure to curb the menace led to the necessary intervention by Dr. Ahmad Gumi towards bridging the gap created by the government’s inability to restore peace in both rural and urban centres in the North.
“However, we expect the military and other security agencies to provide Dr. Ahmad Gumi with the necessary support he may require to achieve the needed result, if only they are faithful and serious in discharging their primary assignment of securing the lives and properties of the citizens, not the other way round.
“We also expect the Government to complement Dr. Gumi’s efforts rather than warn or speak ill of him in his selfless service to the nation.”
The Coalition said criticising Gumi would be taken to mean that the Military was trying to halt the efforts against criminals.
It said, “The criticism and the vicious attack on Dr. Gumi is discouraging and it has given the criminals a greenlight to continue their odious activities. But, we won’t take it either from the military or anyone responsible for the unabated attacks.
“The military’s trade of words with Dr. Gumi is a clear indication that it is jealous of his success towards ending banditry, especially where the military as an institution has failed, despite the billions of Naira spent for the task.”
It noted also that it was an act of injustice for the Army to ignore the provocative statements from Apostle Suleiman and Rev. Mathew Kukah but raise eyebrows against Gumi’s intervention.
“Lastly, we urge the good citizens of Nigerians to request that the military hierarchy should investigate Gumi’s claim that religion was negatively playing out in the fight against the insecurity,” the Group submitted.
