Gumi: Islamic cleric accuses Nigerian military of profiting from war against insurgency

Renowned Islamic scholar, Sheikh Abubakar Gumi on Friday, February 12, launched a scathing criticism on the Nigerian military authorities.

According to Gumi, the military authorities do not want the fight against insurgency to end because they make billions of naira from the huge funds allocated for the prosecution of the war.

1st News had reported that the Kaduna State-based cleric made this disclosure during a guest appearance on Arise Television News programme.

This came in the wake of recent visits to some bandits’ enclave in Zamfara while urging the Nigerian government to grant them amnesty.

“The military is not encouraging matters at all because they are the beneficiaries of this insecurity,” Gumi said.

Continuing, he added: “Nobody can justify criminality. Criminality is criminality; there is no word that can justify it. But just look at it, IPOB (Indigenous People of Biafra), they never had the Nigerian Airforce bombing them, Niger Delta militants never had the Nigerian Air Force bombing them.

“The bandits are complaining mostly against the military killing innocent people. They resorted to buying arms. How did they get the arms? They resorted to kidnapping people which is an end result of these military actions.

“Look, they are ready to drop these arms and return to the fold of the Nigerians just for simple things; schools, hospitals, water.

“And there is an allegation: the military doesn’t want this conflict to end because of the billions of naira they claim for fighting insurgency. So the military is not cooperating.

“I praise the police and the Inspector-General of Police. I give him credit for assisting us to go and meet these people, but the military is not forthcoming, they are not cooperating, I don’t know why.”

4wardwego News had reported that the playwright expressed a similar concern while speaking on the herdsmen menace and other national issues last week.

He also challenged President Buhari to address Nigerians on the crisis and declare publicly that he does not support the criminal activities of some herdsmen in various parts of the country.