OP-ED Opinions 

CAN, Gumi And A Government Tactically Supporting Jihadists By Dr Bolaji O. Akinyemi

Many have been scammed through religion. potential glorious citizens have become reason for gory human experiences as a result of extreme religious views.

Extremism is not limited to religion. But more than any other area of human endeavour, religion, without exception, are prone to fanatics and fanaticism. This is more so because of the spiritual nature of religion which often limits reasoning and leaves adherents at the mercy of chalatans, bigots, marauders, superstitions and fables. This is why Government must not just be seen or heard, but must be felt as being committed to constitutional democracy and its development. In a truly secular state, where the rule of law takes precedence over rules of faith and religious rites, religion will pose no serious threat. 

Christians Association of Nigerian, CAN, is a religious body which represents every Christian in Nigeria through its affiliates. It is just proper that CAN should be worried about Gumi’s call to his bandit converts in the forest across Nigeria, when he spoke to a unit in Tagina forest. Among the many worries of CAN was how Gumi was able to locate bandits hiding in the forest when the military who should know is feigning ignorance or better still unwilling to move a muscle. 

“CAN was kind enough to hold the view that Gumi might have been quoted out of context”. A well meaning caveat for a well intended peacemaker to clear the air. But instead of a deserving response, like someone having things to hide, Gumi revealed the depth of his bigotry and hatred for any and everything Christian. Gumi is slimmy and mischievous. His element in the army in 2021 are persons like Nzoegwu, Dimka and Gideon Orkar who are the “Christian” soldiers killing muslims. Persons like Dimka and Orkar who were found guilty by the military institution and sentenced to death for their crimes against the Military and the Nigerian State are still held down with so much hatred for which Gumi was inciting his army against Christians who are alive and not privy to actions of the dissident officers. None of the officers to which Gumi referred joined the army as Christian or tribes men. They did as Nigerian. The recurring decimal of crisis festers due to the dual identity of the constitution that is confusing Muslim officers as to which they owe their allegiance, Islam or Nigeria. Our mix of secularism and Sharia is an aberration!

Was there really any difference between Yusuf’s movement that translated to Boko Haram and Gumi’s desire for the declaration of any Islamic State where alcohol will not be produced, sold or drank? In a civilized society, Sheikh Gumi shouldn’t be heard deriding CAN and attempting to distort history, by insulting the constitution of the Federal Republic and the military institution. By now he should be under investigation or cooling off in detention. But this is Nigeria and he is a “Grand khadi”!

Nigerian Government for whatever reason failed to profile Gumi, but an individual in the person of Pastor Ladi Thompson did on an International media platform,  (Channel TV). No doubt, the Presidency has the information on the previous activities of persons like Gumi that has brought us to where we are. If the government of the day when Gumi was raising his army of fanatics against the Nigeria State in Kaduna was as recalcitrant as this Government, Boko Haram wouldn’t have taken this long to happen.



Dr Ahmad Mahmud Abubakar Gumi, is disturbed by Christian Association of Nigeria fear of him, and has warned the Organisation to be weary of communication, “which may cause UNPREDICTABLE MISUNDERSTANDING between him and the Federal Government”.

Sheikh, you will do well to first inform us of the level of understanding between you and the Federal Government on your covet mission among the bandits.

Our dear Sheikh, the “restorer” of peace and unity across the country is taken aback over CAN pronouncement on his efforts. Really? We have not sighted you in the forest of South Western Nigeria which battalion of bandits has made their base, terrorising the region at will. Do we need to remind our Sheikh that why Orlu was being pounded by Military firepower, he was, about that same time sitting with bandits taking photographs, relishing in his understanding with the Federal Government, to promise bandits that they will not be treated like Eastern Security Network criminals.

Gumi’s influence could tilt Government decision; peace and reward for bandits and war and killings for Eastern Security Network, and with such influence, CAN should ignore the dynamics of Gumi and Government understanding and go to court. What a confidence in the Judiciary headed by Sharia law graduate, a judiciary system that has since the inception of this administration been weeding out CAN members and refusing to elevate deserving christians. Is it not the appeal court screwed against the Christian faith in its recent promotion that the matter will be brought if CAN is not satisfied with the ruling at the lower court?

Gumi went further, “confirming my apprehension of some elements in our gallant armed forces to which I belong who stirred commotion in the past that engulfed the whole nation repeatedly”. I don’t get it sir! Are you an officer of the Nigerian armed forces? Or is the understanding to which you referred a privilege enlistment to enable you carry our your duty among persons who have openly confessed that they were armed by politicians to assist Buhari to win election and to become the Commander In Chief of the armed forces? 

You questioned why CAN want others to do their bidding? Sir, I am not saddled with the responsibility to speak for CAN officially, but I speak as a Christian and member of CAN. CAN, I believe is not asking FG to do her bidding, but what is lawful, just and right. Sir, your antecedents and actions presently show that you are more of a threat to the peace of our nation than your claim to peace making. The right thing for Government to do is to have you thoroughly investigated.

There are religious extremism in the Southern part of the country also, but commitment to humanity, which should be our first religion wether muslims, traditionalists or christians has helped curb same in no small way. A Guru who called himself god, has been held accountable by the law without a revolt because the larger community of the South wasn’t sympathetic to his course. Rev King is presently awaiting execution for crimes he committed, without the church, our Igbos becoming a nuisance to a community that will not tolerate his “madness” in the name of a tribesman or religious brethren.

A Genesis of a prophet has been subjected to the revelation of Nigerian constitution and the desire of the people to be ruled by law and not his anointing. He is on exodus to kirikiri serving a term for being found guilty of an offence by a court of competent jurisdiction. Insurgency indeed has no life, except in the sympathy of the community of its operations. The understanding of persons like Gumi and the Federal Government showing sympathy for evil is the reason we are where we are. The Government is paying criminals under the watch of Gumi and Gumi has the effontry to decriminalise them as their “Grand khadi”.

In 2014, Chibok school raid and adoption look like an impossibility even to the Government that was expected to be swift in her intervention to rescue the children. Do we still need to ask how do we get here? When the Government at that time was compromised with intelligence it must have to make meaningful decisions?

Today, we have had 4 schools raid and Students adoption under Buhari led administration, 2 of such adoption in 2021 alone.

We need to set the record straight on Islamisation Agenda. We can no longer pretend. There is indeed an agenda, referred to as fulanization agenda by those who want to be politically correct, though, the agenda is deliberately designed as Islamisation, to simply appeal to the sympathy from all Muslims. But let all Muslims be warned, that the loyalty of those behind it, is first to their tribes and subtly to Islam, only as an instrument of nothing but the subjugation of others.

Rev Andimi CAN Chairman Michican Local Government of Adamawa state was to be ransomed before it was rejected, and the hero of faith beheaded before a camera. If the President and everyone of us will analyse the impact of the gory picture on his family and the trauma they are left to live with, just may be, our actions will be different. But we kept asking how did we get here, without asking how many trauma patients without any attention have we made of men, women and children and how many more we will yet allow to be traumatised. I didn’t see our self impose peacemaker, Sheikh Gumi letter to CAN since killings of Christians began.

Boko Haram last captor of faith was Pastor Bulus, several persons called on Christian Association of Nigeria, wealthy Christian leaders and Christian faithfuls to come to his aid, pay the ransom to have him released.

Make no mistake about it, the major reason for this Jihad is to eradicate western education and eliminate Christianity. Please, don’t be fooled, when they say western, they actually mean Christian. From their perspective western education is synonymous with Christianity. 

I had engaged an Islamic Scholar on this before and his submission was that, “western education is Christianity imposed upon the world through education and that is why graduation gowns and caps and Choir uniform and caps are same and one”.

Please, Boko Haram are the same criminal gangs that have modified operations making divestments into banditry, kidnapping, without leaving out their ancestral skills of herding, exchanging cudgels for AK 47.

Target of bandits recently has shown us, with preference for abduction of school Students.

Why?

This is obviously in tandem with the objective of Boko Haram, ” western education is evil”. This onslaught on schools and Students is sending a wave of fear to parents who have started withdrawing their children and wards from schools. It’s only a matter of time before the North as a whole is left with Islamic education forcefully with Buhari led Government corporating with bandits, paying ransom and by extension funding violence against the country she was elected to protect. The North has right to Islamic education in a restructured federation without this needless killing. We should be asking ourselves how do we leave here? Why is Gumi not talking about a restructured federation?

Our Government and all objective minds can’t deny the official role that the constitution of the Federal Republic (Islamic) of Nigeria bestowed on Sheikh Gumi as a Grand khadi, to make such declaration that crimes are no longer crimes within the context of an “Islamic state”, and so bandits are not criminals, kidnappers are not criminals. They are freedom fighters!

Which freedom are they fighting for?

They are fighting to free the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria of its secularism that mentioned Islam 24 times, Muslims 10 times, Sharia 73 times and Grand khadi 54 times, but failed to allow a full fledged Islamic State.

We have believed a lie of a constitution. Our Federation is far from being secular. If there will be a Federal  Republic called Nigeria, it will start now! And we all better be ready to build it together. 

We have to do it now! Time is running out!

Sourced From Sahara Reporters

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