By Abiola Olawale
The North East Elders for Peace and Development (NEEPD), a coalition of Northern elders, has criticized Sheikh Gumi, an Islamic cleric, on his allegations against the men of the Nigerian Army (NA), seperating themselves from some of the much criticized position he has canvassed.
Gumi, who has been advocating for bandits, reiterated again that bandits are not responsible for the cases of criminalities reported in the Northwestern region of Nigeria.
The cleric, while speaking on the release of the abducted Kagara Students, alleged that most of the criminalities are being orchestrated by some non-muslim military personnel.
In his words: “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.”
Reacting, NEEPD in a statement released by Zana Goni, the coordinator of the coalition, condemned in very strong terms the claims made by the Cleric, adding that they do not represent the position of the region.
The Northern Elders further stated that Gumi should desist from levelling dangerous and divisive allegations against the patriotic soldiers.
The statement reads: “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 leveled against our patriotic soldiers by Sheikh Gumi, in one of his missions to meet with bandits in a forest around Niger State. 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.”
