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Sheik Gumi has sown seed of secession, Catholic bishop, Primate Ayodele, Ohanaeze, Afenifere, Middle Belt warn

Popular Islamic cleric, Sheik Ahamd Gumi, with his recent utterances about Christian soldiers serving in the Nigerian Army, has already down seed for succession in the country.

This was the position of some eminent Nigerians including Archbishop Alfred Adewale Martins, the Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos, The founder of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, and a Board of Trustee member of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Omenazu Jackson in reactiont to recent comments of the cleric.

Recall that Sheik Gumi, who mediated the release of Kagara abductees had stated that the Christian soldiers were responsible for the killing of bandits, provoking prominent Nigerians and sending shivers down the spine of many.
But reacting to Gumi’s comment, Archbishop Martins, the military should be more worried, saying such comment questions the unity of the institution, adding that if such comment was allowedto fester,  Nigeria might cease to exist in the nearest future.
Said he, “I was taken aback when I heard that he said that. I was taken aback because the impression I always had was that this was a man who wanted to broker peace; a man who wanted to use his clout to broker peace.

“That comment was not going to foster peace but create division. In the first instance, is he saying that the Commander In Chief of the Nigerian Army decided to send Christian soldiers to go and kill bandits or Muslims? By making such a comment, is he making a distinction in the Nigerian military?

“Is he saying that a Muslim Commander-In-Chief sent Christian soldiers to kill his people or the Chief of Army Staff sent Christians to go and kill Muslims? It is completely laughable but very inciting and can be classified as hate speech in Nigerian content today.

“I think the military should be offended that he said such a thing because what he said means that the military has a division; the Christians are told to do hatchet jobs and the others do another job. He has put the integrity of the army to question by making such a statement,” he stated.
Bishop Martins continued that the Federal Government should find a way to remedy the situation or risk it generating a full-blown division in the country.
“The statement showed that he is biased and he is dangerous to the peace and religious harmony we have in this country. He has begotten bad blood against Christian and Christian soldiers in particular. He is a very dangerous person if he continues to speak this way.

“And the military should take an exception to this kind of talk and call him to order. He is putting this country in danger of religious conflict. It is very disappointing from a man who wanted to build peace,” he stated.
On his part, Pimate Ayodele shared the same opinion with Martins that such comment could split the country, adding that the Federal Government has opened a goldmine for bandits after negotiating with them.

He added that the government has trusted the wrong set of Nigerians and it is playing with the lives of innocent citizens and that the bandits don’t deserve amnesty proposed by Gumi.
In the words of Primate Ayodele, “Gumi’s comment on the Christian soldiers killing the bandit is very wrong. It has always been my fear that they will turn the insecurity in the country into religious and ethnic crises. What Gumi has done will cause religious crises.

“The government has to checkmate him because he has no right to make such a comment. If they don’t, then it shows that the government is interested in the way things are panning out. They have turned the kidnapping into a business.
“Government has invested in the killing of Nigerian citizens if not, what are the work of police, army, and DSS. Why must the government listen to ordinary civilians mediate for the government? The situation showed that Gumi knows about the kidnapping and the whereabouts of the bandits. It shows that the bandits are above the law and the military or security unit has failed Nigeria.
“Gumi mediation didn’t speak well about Nigerian government. 800m is a lot of money despite Nigeria’s debt. I condemn that action. It will lead other prominent Nigerians to aspire to mediate in the future.
“The genesis of this is that the government has trusted the wrong people. As a result, the government is playing with people’s lives. It is not good, we all will pay for our sins. And should all remember that one day, the tenure of the present government will end and another will begin which might not favour them.

“Whatever this government has done will be remembered. What Gumi has done is wrong because anybody can disguise to be a mediator. The government and cohorts are playing God with the lives of Nigerians. These people they are kidnapping are passing through trauma and they continue to waste the national recourses. 800m is a lot of money, if the security team was boosted with the money they would have performed and still, we would have restored the confidence in them. I trust the army; they would have killed the bandit because there is no justification for banditry in the country,” he stated.
Also, Omenazu Jackson stated that banditry was an act of terrorism and should not be condoned.

In thenwords of Jackson, “Honestly speaking, the negotiation by the government with bandits, who are serial murderers and economic saboteurs, showed that Nigeria is a failed state.

“No state or nation that is conscious of her sovereignty will negotiate with criminals. Criminals that have proved that there is no verified reason for their criminality don’t deserve amnesty. Crime is a crime. You go to people’s farms, damage their farms, rape their wives, and killed them and in the end, the government is negotiating with them. It is unheard of.

“For the government to start negotiation with such bandit, it is disheartening and that we have derailed to this level, we cannot be classified as a state but a glorified animal farm.”
National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin, also opined that Sheik Gumi should currently be behind bars answering to the hate speech. He added that if the government is sincere about hate speech, it should have started the prosecution of Gumi.
“Gumi is on a dangerous mission to divide Nigeria and if Nigeria has not become a failed state, Gumi should be under interrogation by now. He made a statement that cant set this country ablaze in a minute but, unfortunately, the government is looking at him because they are enjoying the outcome of the whole situation and it is part of their plan,” he stated.
Same way, the National Publicity Secretary, Middle Belt Leaders Forum, Dr. Dogo Isuwa, urged the army to restore the unity Gumi has created by taking action against him. Isuwa believes that Gumi should be treated like a terrorist.
“It is quite funny that someone is thinking about Christian and Muslim soldiers in a volatile situation like this. As far as I am concerned, anybody that is saying that must be part of the terrorist group that is provoking and trying to set Nigeria ablaze by making a comment of that nature against the Nigerian Armed forces.

“If you talk about Christian soldiers killing terrorists. How does he get access to the bandits and spend time to discuss all sorts of evil things with the bandit when the armed forces are masking so much sacrifice to quench the matter.

“The statement is simply putting more fire into what is happening. He is simply saying that the army sent the Christian soldiers to die in the hands of the bandits. I don’t want to look at it in terms of Christian soldiers killing terrorists but on the side that he is instigating the army and dividing the armed forces against itself on religious, tribal, and sectional bases. And anybody that attempts that must be a terrorist,” he stated.

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