By Cross Udo
President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the military authorities to without delay, punish the soldier and other persons involved in the murder of a Yobe State-based Islamic cleric Sheikh Goni Aisami.
The President also called on the military to flush out with immediate effect other elements with such criminal tendencies.
He also strongly condemned what he called “the unprovoked and cold-blooded murder of the cleric by “a callous soldier he had offered a lift as confirmed by the Police.”
Reacting to the incident yesterday, Buhari in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu said, “this barbaric murder of a compassionate man by a soldier he had assisted has no place in our training as soldiers, and it negates the entire ethos of military life which is anchored on discipline and respect for the sanctity of innocent lives.”
He further said, “As the Commander-In-Chief, I am personally outraged by this criminal and wicked act by a law enforcement official trained to protect life.
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“By our training, we are guided by a code of conduct that frowns on this kind of reckless and criminal act. It is not in our character and training to put innocent citizens in harm’s way. Of course, the action of this soldier is an isolated incident involving an individual, but it is capable of staining the collective image of our military.
“This incident is capable of making our fellow citizens fearful of assisting soldiers, thereby destroying the bond of trust between our military and the civilians.
“I call on the military authorities to punish the perpetrators of this heinous crime without delay, and flush out other elements with such criminal tendencies.”
He condoled with the Yobe State Government, the people of the State, and the family of the victim of this tragedy.
