Renown Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has blasted Presidential Spokesman, Femi Adesina for calling him a bandit lover .
It would be recalled that Femi Adesina in article titled, ” I Like This Pampering, Don’t You ?”, called the revered cleric a bandit lover.Femi who was apparently irked by the Sheik article on Facebook which he called for amnesty, rehabilitation and resettlement of Fulani Herdsmen.
Sheikh Gumi who on Friday morning responded to Adesina’s rendition with his own article titled, “War is Not An Option”, lampooned the Presidential aide as a bootlicker. The Sheik denied that he ever harboured sympathy or love for bandits rather as a patriotic Nigeria who loves his country .
The Sheik wrote,
” You bootlicker that called me a bandit-lover! I am not one, but my country-lover, my region-lover, my state-lover, and my people-lover, and humanity-lover.
He went on to explain that as a medical personnel, he is trained to exercise a tumor with damaging the brain tissue and a former military officer, he also know what military action entails and an Islamic cleric, Sheik Gumi explained that he is well positioned to speak out against injustice when he sees one
“I am a qualified Medical Doctor who knows what it takes to precisely excise a brain tumour without destroying the delicate surrounding brain tissues. I was a commissioned military officer who knows what the military is for and what is the capability of our military. I am an intellectual with a Ph.D. from Abroad. I am an Islamic scholar who knows the immorality of killing innocent lives. So, silence for me in this ocean of oblivion is not an option.
He Futher explained that the actions of the Government against the bandits amounts to killing rats in a room filled with rats which would encourage more dangers
He Futher cautioned against military action against bandits adding that politicians have benefitted more in the Fulani Banditry that plagued the country
“Only a fool would allow his dwelling to be a theatre of war. Unfortunately, how many fools are there. Killing rats in your rat-infested sitting room with an iron rod will only end up destroying your gadgets and furniture probably without killing any. We should not mask out poor governance with artillery power.
Some disingenuous people say: peace and negotiations with herdsmen bandits have failed, and your mission has failed!I said my mission has not failed but it was sabotaged or discouraged by the same influential people that benefit from the chaos or like us to destroy ourselves and leave the herdsmen in perpetual ignorance.
The Sheik went ahead to reiterate his call for the rehabilitation of bandits and for creation of a Ministry for nomadic herdsmen just like it was in the Niger Delta
“Some said we have tried amnesty but it didn’t work. You didn’t try amnesty but tried amnesia. Amnesty without rehabilitation, reconciliation, and reparation is no amnesty. Ask the former Niger Delta Militants who killed security men in the past what an amnesty is. What stops us from having a federal ministry of Nomadic Affairs where their grievances and complaints will be addressed?
The Sheik further explained the reluctance of the killer Herdsmen to give up their arms or accept amnesty from the government.
“All the bandit leaders we saw complained of how some repentant ones were picked and extra-judicially killed after the surrender of their weapons. Without their trust of the very unjust system all Nigerians complain of, which they took arms to fight, peace and negotiations with them will not work. This brings our role of mediation. They know as religious men we will not deceive them, and they came out in troops to meet us. To our astonishment, it is the same unjust system that turns round to betray our peace mission. Some of the press for giving a negative narrative, whom I also term criminals-in-purpose, some of the politicians who I see as urban-bandits who out of their share mismanagement of our meagre resources and misplacement of priority cause the death and infirmity of more people than the bandits affect.Of recent, how many Nigerians die of cholera -a water-born disease- because of lack of simple clean water to drink, or typhoid, malaria, and malnutrition?, he queried
