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Chukwudi Akasike
THE Pan Niger Delta Forum has called on the Federal Government to declare the statements credited to an Islamic scholar, Sheik Abubakar Gumi, as “hate speech”.
PANDEF Board of Trustees made this call on Wednesday in a communique signed by its members; Chief Edwin Clark, former Akwa Ibom State governor, Obong Victor Attah, and Senator Emmanuel Ibok Essien.
The forum expressed dissatisfaction that Gumi was inciting terrorists and bandits against Christian soldiers and equating them (terrorist and bandits) with Niger Delta agitators.
Gumi had while addressing some bandits in Tegina forest, said, “Soldiers that are involved in most of the criminalities are not Muslims…soldiers have Muslims and non-Muslims. The non-Muslims are the ones causing confusion just to ignite crisis.”
Why Gumi should not cause disaffection in the military
On
By Emmanuel Aziken
The Unity Advocacy Group (UAG) has alerted Nigerians of the dangers of having a military divided along religious and ethnic lines.
UAG reaction follows recent statement credited to Sheikh Abubakar Gumi, where he accused non-Muslim soldiers of carrying out orchestrated killings in some communities and precipitating anger in the North.
Sheikh Gumi further said in the statement that the killings triggered the raging banditry in parts of the North.
According to Gumi “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.”
â¢Boko Haram regrouping in Nasarawa, gov warns
By Deji Elumoye, Kingsley Nwezeh, Udora Orizu in Abuja and John Shiklam in Kaduna
Zamfara State Governor, Mr. Bello Matawalle, came under fire yesterday over his statement that he knew the abductors of the 317 pupils of Government Girls Secondary School (GGSS), Jangebe, in Talata Mafara Local Government Area of the state.
The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF); the Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere; the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF); Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU) and the Kaduna State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) took on Matawalle and challenged him to reveal their identity.
Sheikh GumiCoalition of Niger Delta Agitators (CNDA) is demanding the arrest of an Islamic cleric, Sheikh Abubakar Gumi, and Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State over their stance on bandits and armed herders in the country.
The John Dukku-led group, comprising all major militant groups in the Niger Delta, alleged that the actions and utterances of the duo were indicative that they had been financing banditry and armed herdsmen in the country. x
It condemned any form of negotiation with bandits, gun-carrying herdsmen, kidnappers and Boko Haram leaders and others terrorising innocent citizens across the country, declaring that such acts amounted to nothing but criminality.
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