By Promise Adiele
Too many enigmas strut humanity’s daily existential corridors. These enigmas resist definition or comprehension in their most basic forms. There is no society without its enigmas – certain things people cannot understand or explain. However, people continue to accept these enigmas even though they violate their being daily. Nigeria has its share of enigmas, so many things we do not understand, but they have inextricably become part of our polity and nationhood. We only wonder, shrug our shoulders, complain and move on, consoling ourselves with that sterile street lingo “it is what it is”. One of the greatest enigmas in modern Nigeria is that Islamic Scholar Sheikh Gumi is a free man. Given his despicable posturing in the face of the country’s security challenges, Gumi should be cooling off in detention or at least denied access across social spaces of normal human habitation. It defies every iota of reason that Sheikh Gumi is a freeman. If the federal government is genuinely and responsibly committed to fighting insecurity in Nigeria, it must, as a matter of utmost urgency, arrest and prosecute Sheikh Gumi. He is insecurity personified, the insecurity in Nigeria’s security.
Not many Nigerians will walk free if they, as much as enable terrorists, plead their cause and openly vomit the sort of profanity against the Nigerian state as Sheikh Gumi spews daily. It violates all equitable consciences to listen to him openly make a case for terrorists. Such mindless behaviour grates at the heart of double standard, sabotage, and treasonable felony. Yet, he is a free man and the federal government wants Nigerians to believe it is sincerely committed to fighting insecurity in the country. The popular TV program Tales by Moonlight never descended to such ridiculous narratives. Presently, Nigeria is grappling with insecurity. It is not about politics or sectional preferences. It is about the lives and safety of innocent Nigerians, mostly children and women. From all indications, the federal government appears helpless but would never admit it. Terrorists have overwhelmed Nigeria’s security apparatus. The terrorists gloat over these issues on social media. It would be easier to sell water inside the Atlantic Ocean than to convince any informed mind that the Federal Government is totally committed to fighting terrorism in the country. If the government is committed to wiping out terrorists in the country, it can be done within one week. Why it has not happened is a matter of infinite conjecture.
I have no sympathy for terrorists, whoever they may be and wherever they may come from. Anybody who shows sympathy for a terrorist is a terrorist by default. Terrorists are brutal, merciless, and sadistic. Many innocent Nigerians have died in their hands in the most gruesome manner. Among those who died are women, children, and serving officers of the Nigerian army. It therefore lacerates the soul of a normal being to listen to Sheikh Gumi plead the cause of terrorists, urging Nigerians to show them mercy. Under normal circumstances, Sheikh Gumi should be suffering the fate of all terrorists in Sambisa forest. His continual pleading for leniency and understanding for terrorists amounts to sabotage and a mockery of the souls of all Nigerians decapitated by the scoundrels ravaging the country. Millions of people across the world watched in horror as terrorists executed a serving Brigadier General of the Nigerian army. The terrorists recorded it and posted it on social media. These are the same people that Gumi is asking the federal government to negotiate with.
It is beyond all strata of cognition that Sheikh Gumi has become a celebrity in Nigeria. Shockingly, all the major media houses in the country are offering him the platform to propagate his vulgarity. What is wrong with us in this country? What does a media house gain by inviting Gumi to their station, offering him a platform to desecrate the spirit of many Nigerians who died at the hands of terrorists? Will someone like Gumi, who shows open sympathy for terrorists, walk free in another country challenged by insecurity, like in Nigeria? Why then is Gumi a free man in this country? Although it may seem that the Nigerian government and the entire military formation are helpless, I do not believe they are truly helpless. There are reports that, before the Kebbi school children were kidnapped, the military officers attached to the school were withdrawn. If this report is true, it follows that it would be difficult to exonerate persons of authority in the country’s security challenges. It becomes worse when Nigerians watch armed terrorists enter major cities in the country, attend naming ceremonies in a convoy, and grant interviews before media cameras, surrounded by military officers.
The terrorists whom Gumi is evangelising for continue to acquire sophisticated weapons every day. How do they acquire these weapons? Why do they buy them? Who transports them? And what bank accounts do they use for their transactions? In the recent past, there were reports in the media that officials of the Nigeria Customs Service sent seized bags of rice to terrorists in the forest to save them from starvation. Yet, the federal government always regale us with how it is fighting terrorism. If that report is true, then this country is a complete joke, a truly disgraced country of particular concern. It is easy for security outfits, police and the military to track minor criminals through their phones and other digital devices. Why then is it impossible to track terrorists and apprehend them? Once in a while, social media is flooded with photos and videos of military officers in the forest with terrorists in a convivial, jocular situation, like true friends. One then wonders what is actually going on in this country and who is fooling whom? Nigerians must ask all the questions and probe as much as possible to get to the root of these issues.
I do not know the Nigerian military to be sloppy or inefficient. In the past, when there were security issues in the Southeast, the military immediately declared one form of operation or another, invaded the region and militarised the place. When unknown gunmen killed a military officer in the Southeast, the Nigerian military acted swiftly and razed a whole village. It was reported that when IPOB killed a military officer, the Nigerian military acted with precision and decimated many IPOB members. Since ISWAP killed a Nigerian Brigadier General, why has the military not invaded the ISWAP camp, razed the place and killed many of them? It truly becomes very difficult not to sense some form of selective response to terrorism in the country. Perhaps, Sheikh Gumi’s evangelism to save terrorists while they practically destroy the country is working perfectly. Is there a mole in the Nigerian army enabling terrorists and feeding fat from it all? It is difficult to argue. Are there senior government officials behind the terrorism industry? It is also difficult to argue. When terrorists kill Nigerians, they post video evidence on social media. But when the federal government announce that they have wiped out terrorists or rescued kidnapped victims, we hardly see any video evidence.
A statement credited to Nigeria’s late dictator, Sanni Abacha, immediately comes to mind. According to that statement, the late head of state said that if any insurgency lasts for more than 48 hours, the government knows about it, or someone in government is behind it. Today, terrorists are controlling parts of the country and imposing taxes on the local people. Our sovereignty, which Mr. President swore to protect, is hugely compromised. The first step to tackling insecurity in the country right now is to arrest Sheikh Gumi and put him out of circulation. The second step is to formally invite the US to invade Sambisa forest and wipe out terrorists in large numbers. One wonders why the president has not declared a state of emergency in Kebbi, Niger, Zamfara, and Niger states with the same urgency he declared a state of emergency in Rivers State. The stale mantra that Nigeria’s sovereignty must be maintained is very offensive to the sensibilities, because the activities of terrorists in the country prove that Nigeria’s sovereignty is on free fall.
I read a statement posted on social media by a terrorist that they will start kidnapping more military officers and even Mr. President. Though it sounds like a big joke, there is no smoke without fire and the federal government must take that threat seriously. No one knows what is coming. No one can explain it. All talks about the 2027 elections should stop forthwith. Nigeria is facing serious security challenges and until they are overcome, politics should take a back seat. Until the insecurities within the country’s security architecture are flushed out, the country will continue to stew in the crucible of insecurity. Sheikh Gumi is an impediment to Nigeria’s security. He must be stopped immediately.
Dr. Promise Adiele can be reached via: promee01@yahoo.com; @drpee4
