Kassim Omomia, Cajetan Mmuta, Idu Jude and Ben Ogbemudia
More Nigerians have weighed in on the war of words between an Islamic cleric, Sheik Ahmadu Gumi, and the military authorities, demanding that the accusation levelled against security operatives be properly investigated.

Gumi, a retired army captain, had accused the security personnel of colluding with bandits.

Gunmen would not have access to weapons without the support of security operatives, the cleric had declared in a television interview on Wednesday.

But the Nigeria Army has since dismissed the cleric’s claim as “pure hallucination” and a calculated attempt to denigrate the Nigerian military and undermine the sacrifices of the troops.

The claim and counter claims are coming as more Nigerians have urged the federal government to rein in the Islamic cleric.

The Ohanaeze Ndigbo through its publicity Secretary, Chief Alex Ogbonnia said it was on the look out of how the row between the military and the cleric would end.

Ogbonnia said, “Gumi has given information which he rightly believes because of his position in the Islamic world. He is a consistent security threat and somebody who knows the bandits and how soldiers collaborate with Boko Haram.”

“Nigerians are looking out for how this matter will end. Like I have said before, part of the problems we have in the country is selective justice. Giving different strokes for different people. Nigerians have heard he was invited and they are looking forward to how it will end. I have high respect for the imam but I am not comfortable with his recent relationship with both bandits and all these other people”.

Bury the toxic anti-press bill

Also, the lead Director Centre for Social Justice, Ezeh Onyekpere, who said there was more to the accusation, noted that the drama would further unfold.

Calling for caution, the lawyer feared that the cleric would soon emerge to challenge the constitutional authority of the military.

Onyekpere said, “Gumi has just told Nigerians what he knows and one cannot write that off totally. You remember that this is a man who never pretended to make himself available for negotiation between the Federal Government and the kidnappers.

“Such interventions have taken place on many occasions and so the moves have made Nigerians to raise questions over what made an individual know better than the entire Nigerian security organizations put together. The cleric speaks from experience having been in the business for some time. Now, it behoves the military to absolve itself of this huge allegation.”

Urging the authorities not to totally dismiss the allegation, the human rights crusader said the several attacks on the officers and the men of the army by bandits call for concern.

He said, “Can we just shy away from the fact that the military is totally oblivious of this current insecurity predicament? Truly, the military leadership both past and present since the advent of insurgency have questions to answer.

“Or have we forgotten the words of former Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, who asserted before that any insurgency that lasts for two weeks unabated, has the involvement of the military? Or do you want to know how the military uniforms and firearms are being recovered among terrorists? So the cleric may have good information that may help Nigeria uncover so many things with regard to the insurgency”

For a retired Captain, Samuel Ikpa, the cleric should be made to unveil the names of the suspected military collaborators.

Ikpa said, “I am not saying that individuals in the military may be involved. I am not holding brief but it seems there is a misunderstanding among the those in the business.

“You see there are more to this and please do not forget that the military has a primary duty of defending the entire territory of the country and it is a taboo for the country to go down in its hand.

“So the allegation is a very heavy one that needs to be substantiated before the security agencies and by so doing the truth may come out”

“It is obvious that Nigerian troops had lost many soldiers during this operations but one obvious thing is the huge supplies that sustained this insurgents for the last six years.

“So, if anyone should be accused, it should not be the military who are just employees of the government. The present administration must not also be let out of the hook.

“By the way, who appointed him the chief negotiator? Why has it taken so long before he is invited by the DSS? Can we now say that Mr President and those working with him never heard of Gumi’s exploits?

“Look at the way he has acted as if he were above the law. So, for him to come out to accuse the military is because he has been given a loose rope to operate by the government who had failed to call him to order ab nitio”.
A former governorship aspirant in Anambra State, Chief Innocent Enyioha, described the unfolding event as chaotic.

Enyioha, a Peoples Democratic party stalwart said, “How can a civilian accuse the military of infidelity? Is it not because the leadership is docile on certain national issues? Is it not because some of them work for the power that be?”

The PDP chief who went political in his assessment of the issue, therefore urged the electorate to vote out the All Progressives Congress in the 2023 elections.

Contributing a retired Colonel, Eziobe Madu, urged the authorities to immediately arrest Gumi.

Madu said, “If Gumi is not arrested by the Federal Government, we will now confirm that the government is directly responsible for the insecurity ravaging the country so that they can stay in power beyond 2023.

“It is very unfortunate that a man like Gumi will be moving freely despite all roles in promoting and supporting the activities of bandits in the North. I think Nigeria would never no peace with the likes of Gumi”.

Meanwhile, a retired Army General has challenged Gumi to name the security personnel allegedly colluding with criminal elements.

The retired officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said it would have been proper for the cleric to provide the names and the circumstances in which the officers had compromised the system so that they could be sanctioned

He said, “It would have been more helpful if evidence of those personnel who have been so compromised are provided by name and circumstances of their involvement so that they can be arrested and prosecuted according to the law of the land”.

He noted that allegations of collusion with security operatives was not new to Nigerians, especially since after the revelation of retired General TY Danjuma that Nigerians should defend themselves against the Fulani militia as the military cannot be trusted to defend them.

“So Gumi singing the same tone should not be a surprise to anyone”

He, however, noted that the alleged involvement of a few disgruntled security persons did not translate to rubbishing all the good work of security agencies.

“So these blanket allegations are not adding any value to our fight against insecurity, but just creating undue media sensation” he warned.

In a related development, a lecturer at the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Dr. Agharese Osifo, who said Gumi had never masked the support he has for Muslims, doubted whether the cleric truly accused the military.

He said, “I would want to believe that the Sheik never made that comment in view of his military background.

Also, the fact that he was not arrested by any of the security agencies such as the police, Army, DSS easily buttressed my point.”