The visit of Sheikh Ahmad Gumi to the den of the bandits in Zamfara state, in the North West of the country whereby he made case for the criminals that have brought so much sorrow to many families, the state and the country at large has continued to resonate from different quarters. The sheikh wants the Federal government to dialogue with the bandits or at best grant them amnesty, having likened their case to that of the Niger Delta youths agitatators who in their own case, were pardoned and granted amnesty in 2009, by the then Umaru Musa Yar’ Adua administration. He went further to say if Biafran soldiers could be pardoned; he saw nothing wrong in pardoning the bandits from the North. As if that was not enough, he also alluded to the fact that those who are going after the bandits were non- Muslim soldiers, a statement many have said was capable of setting the military institution along religious and tribal lines. It was few days ago that the military replied the Sheik by saying that, deployment in the Military had nothing to do with religion or tribe.
The military however warned that their image should not be dragged in the mud. Prior to that, the Federal government had warned against hate speech or statements capable of inflaming the already fragile society that is plagued with myriads of problems occasioned by agitations here and there, the killing spree as a result of banditry, Boko Haram onslaught, Fulani Herdsmen attacks, kidnapping and armed robbery. But surprisingly, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed who is at the vanguard against hate speech and still campaigning up till this very moment, has not seen anything wrong with Sheikh Gumi’s statement, neither has the Department of State Services (DSS), who should by now be questioning Sheikh Gumi. Both have really disappointed the majority of Nigerians and their action portrays how biased government officials can be, unfortunately. Many have postulated that the military response was late and not strong enough, based on the weight of the statement of the Sheik which was capable of inflaming the already tensed security situation in the country. Be it, head or tail, it’s said better late than never. I
t’s a welcome development that the Zamfara State governor, Bello Muhammad Matawale has given the bandits two months to surrender or face the fireworks of the military that are ready to give them bloody nose following the deployment of yet additional six thousand troops in the troubled region by the Federal government. The military of any country is a revered institution, whose operations are very vital to the unity and togetherness of the society. Ours should not be any different and should not be dragged into the murky waters of politics of our country that tries to tear the society apart for selfish gains. The insecurity in the country is a cause for concern and those who try to hide under religion for whatever guise to cause disaffection should not be patted on the back but instead should be reprimanded to serve as deterrent to others, especially at this time the country is deeply divided along tribal and religious lines. It is not enough for Sheikh Gumi to say that he was misunderstood and every one relaxes. The right thing here is for him to be invited by the DSS at least to afford him ample opportunity to clear the air on some of the statements he allegedly made when he visited the bandits two weeks ago.