*Say’s north can address insecurity issues themselves, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Gen. Murtala M. others killed thru fake army intelligence
By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
A Kaduna-based Islamic Scholar and leader Dr. Sheikh Ahmed Gumi, has described the drone bomb attacked in Tudun Biri village in Igabi Local Government Area (LGA) of Kaduna state last Sunday by the Nigerian Army as unfortunate and avoidable.
Sheikh Gumi who made the assertion in an interview faulted President Bola Tinubu over the bombing for been so much in a hurry to end insecurity in Nigeria.
“Tinubu is making mistakes because he’s too much in a hurry to stop insecurity”, he stated.
Recalled that on Sunday, 3rd December 2023, Nigerian Army mistook participants on Maulud Islamic procession for terrorists and launched an aerial bomb on them.
The airstrike strike instantly killed scores and injured many residents of Tudun Biri, a community in the Igabi LGA of Kaduna State.
Igabi, Giwa, Birni Gwari and Chikun Local Government areas of the state have however been identified as hidden spots for the terrorists and bandits who have been terrorising the state for about a decade.
Before the unfortunate incident, several security officers including soldiers, policemen, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), officers and members of the Kaduna State Vigilance Service (KADGVS), and the civilian populace have been killed by these marauding elements.
Speaking in the interview, Sheikh Ahmed Gumi described the bombing by the Nigerian Army as unfortunate and avoidable.
While he dismissed military intelligence as immaterial, Gumi said the security issues in Northern Nigeria could be addressed by the Northerners.
He said “Honestly, I was not surprised about that mistaken assumption bombing at Tudun Biri by the Nigerian Army because it has happened elsewhere before and nobody was sanctioned to serve as a deterrent.
For instance, I saw in Niger State, deep in the forest, where a village was levelled, except for three survivors. That joint operation was carried out by the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Air Force, and Vigilante. It was not a Fulani community but that of a minority tribe in Niger State.
“We were invited by those three survivors and when we went there, we saw houses filled with dead bodies. When we inquired about what led to that, they said it was due to their alleged cooperation with the bandits.
“I wondered if anyone could survive in that place without cooperating with the bandits who are like the government there. A vast land area that was under the control of the bandits.
“So, if the Nigerian Army could not fight these bandits man-to-man, except through bombing, what do you want the villagers to do? This happened during the immediate past administration of Muhammadu Buhari.
“It is important to add that no nation can progress with blood on its hands. The Nigerian Army has turned to the Nigerian version of Netanyahu, killing innocent women and children in the name of killing bandits who are combatants.
“The Army authorities have accepted responsibility and pleaded with Nigerians, saying that the unfortunate incident was not intended?
“What happened just recently has no excuse. The rule of engagements says that even if your target is seen, once there are innocent women and children among them, you should not bomb them because of those women and children because to save an innocent life is more important than killing a criminal.
“In the interim, what should the government do to secure confidence in Nigerians especially the affected community in Igabi Local Government area of the state?
“The government must immediately institute a board of investigation not just on the Tudun Biri incident but all the killings of innocent Nigerians. If those who killed these people are found to be prejudiced, they should be brought to book. The government needs to take full responsibility for the genocide that is happening in our rural areas”, stated.
Gumi who was in the military lamented that “Military intelligence is not intelligence. Look at what is happening in Gaza. Israeli soldiers were bringing down houses with children in them.
“Intelligence will tell them there are Hamas there and no children only to discover that there were children there after bombing them. Military +intelligence is nonsense. People just concocting something not as if it is real.
“For example, the late Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto who was killed in 1966, was because there was an ‘intelligence’ that he was amassing weapons in his residence.
“I got to know that because my father was apprehended and was being asked, ‘where are the weapons you are amassing’? Murtala was also killed because of similar fake intelligence.
“Look at the case of America and Saddam Hussein in Iraq. He was accused of amassing weapons of mass destruction. When they went to Iraq, more than 2,000 American soldiers died for a life. So, Military intelligence is just about making money.
“Nowhere in the World that military intelligence is intelligence. It is just a way to siphon money through the defence. They will just say there is a threat so the government can give money. Since Buhari came, no agency of government enjoys money like Defence, and look at how the security situation is getting worse by the day.
“Once the government is not in tune with the society, it will never get the true intelligence. That was why we are having a dialogue on having active community policing.
“We should bring such a policy down to the state and local government. Security is supposed to be on the same page with the people, otherwise, relying on officers instead of people will not give adequate intelligence.
For example, if a carpenter sees any protrusion on a wall, the solution that will likely come to his mind is to harmer it to address it because that harmer is what he works with.
“So, everything is not just to show the military power and bribe people with money. Our government needs to be told that not all problems are solved with power or money. Problems are solved with real politicking and that is missing.
See how the Governor of Anambra State, Charles Soludo went to see Nnamdi Kanu and spoke to him. So, the government delegated some Igbo leaders to pacify the situation. Again, Sunday Igboho, Yoruba nation agitator, was in exile all along Buhari’s time.
“When a Yoruba man came, the agitation has been subsided. So, if Igbo could deal with their problem and Yoruba could deal with their problem, then, we in the North can deal with our problem.
“We can deal with it. Unfortunately during the past administration, Buhari failed because he had a personal problem. He was not listening. The extra-judicial killings were worst during Buhari’s time. Our people told me that they have never suffered bloody attacks like during Buhari’s time. Many called Buhari “Baba go-slow”.
“Now, Tinubu is in haste to show that he’s doing something about the security situation in the country. The truth is when you act in haste, you are bound to make several mistakes. The military is not the solution to that. The more you kill their children, the more they get frustrated and the more they fight back.
“So as we have somebody to take care of the problem in the South-East, another one to take care of the problem in the South-West, get somebody from the North to take care of the problem in the North. That is the only way and not force. I have good authority that bandits are on the increase because they are being massacred.
“Like Buhari, Tinubu has two advisers; those who are telling him that he should use force to end banditry and he is supporting them. On the other hand, some people are telling him to opt in for dialogue, he listens to them, but not supporting them. I will advise President Tinubu not to be deceived the way Buhari was deceived. You cannot be doing the same thing and expect different results”, he added.
On what message to the people of Tudun Biri, Gumi said “I’m hopeful the government will take it seriously. But it should investigate the unfortunate development in Turun Biri to avoid a repeat. It must never happen again.
“A military man was saying that sometimes when they see a man riding a motorcycle in the bush, they would kill him. As a human, you cannot hide. If you kill someone unjustly using your power, you cannot hide from God. You will never have peace in your life if you take an innocent life.
“So, I will tell the people of Tudun Biri to take it as predestination while calling on the government to take precautions to ensure this does not happen again.
