GOV MASARI TO GUMI, TELL BANDITS TO VALUE RELIGION, HUMAN LIVES INSTEAD.
State Correspondent
GOVERNOR Aminu Bello Masari said the renowned Islamic preacher, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi should have been preaching to the bandits on the fear of God; to understand the implications of killing somebody but certainly not amnesty because even animals are not allowed to be killed unjustly let alone human beings.
He bared his mind when exchanging views with journalists in Katsina State.
According to him, “Amnesty for whom? Gumi is doing it in 2021, we did it in 2016. At least, there is something to learn from us. When we started the dialogue in 2016, 95 per cent of the herders living in the forest were not criminals, but what is the situation today? Majority of the herders living in the forest today are bandits. The general perception now is that every Fulani man living in the forest is a bandit”.
Masari said when they started the dialogue, they were dealing with people that were being arrested and not being prosecuted.
“There was no established concrete case against them because of killing, because then it was cattle rustling associated with murder, but today the situation has been different. I haven’t had time to discuss with Gumi. I was in a meeting where he was, and he made his presentation about what he met”.
Gov Aminu Bello Masari stressed that he is not surprised because he did it before, twice, so what they (bandits) are telling him is not new to him, saying they said it and they will continue to say it, but concretely they are not promoting any ideology.
“Are we all happy in Nigeria? Does it mean those who are unhappy would take arms against other people? They kept on saying we are been marginalized. How many people are being marginalized and neglected in Nigeria today? Look my friend, a thief is a thief and a criminal is a criminal. They are criminally minded and can’t justify killing innocent souls.”, he said.
