Posted by Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, a well-known and divisive Islamic cleric, has criticized the Federal Government for taking incorrect actions in response to the Boko Haram insurgency in the North and said that both sides of the conflict committed crimes.
In a statement released on Sunday, Gumi made this claim and said that a worsening insurgency would emerge if the country’s future president continued on the same course.
The recent BBC Africa Eye and Daily Trust documentaries on the insurgency in Zamfara State, he claimed, “have shown the racial and tribal overtones as the real source of the decade mayhem the North Western area is suffering as a whole.
“The crimes were done by both sides of the split, but sadly, the outside world only perceives one side as a criminal, therefore the government behaved in such a manner, escalating the conflict and using the incorrect strategies for resolving community disputes.
“A stronger insurrection will undoubtedly occur if the future President adopts the same stance, believing that the current administration merely treated criminals with kid gloves. The battle against Boko Haram in the North East has lasted almost 12 years, and their commander was only murdered in a clash between factions, not by our military intervention.
And now, happily, a lot of BH are turning themselves in as a result of the sincere efforts of healing and rehabilitation made by the federal and state administrations, as shown by deeds, not words. Sadly, some people find this annoying, especially the privileged who perceive it as cajoling criminals. Anything other than eradicating them is unacceptable to them.