Group to DSS: Arrest Sheikh Gumi for alleged involvement with bandits, terrorists
A civil society organisation, under the aegis of Coalition for Peace In Nigeria (COPIN), has called on the Department of State Services (DSS) to arrest a Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Abubakar Gumi for alleged involvement with bandits and terrorists.
According to COPIN, Gumi should ordinarily be a person of interest owing to his constant call on the federal government to grant the terror elements amnesty.
In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, Pharmacist Emeka Akwuobi and Hajiya Fatih Yakub, the National Coordinator and the Secretary of the group said that Sheikh Gumi had a lot of explanations to offer on the activities of bandits, especially those operating within the North West area.
The group insisted on the immediate arrest, interrogation and prosecution of the Islamic scholar, while applauding the secret service on the professional manner it has dealt with the arrest of an acclaimed kidnapped Abuja/Kaduna train passengers’ negotiator, Tukur Mamu.
The statement added that Mamu, the bandits’ negotiator, is the undisputed spokesperson for the Kaduna-based influential Islamic cleric.
The group argued that the apprehension of Gumi is fundamental to a peaceful election, as he would provide the service with credible/actionable intelligence on the actual locations, and modus operandi of the terrorists, culminating in their arrest.
It further affirmed that should the intelligence agency fail to invite Gumi for an interview, it would organise a peaceful protest in Abuja, and other cities in the country.
The statement partly read: “We have watched with keen interest the provocative tendencies of Sheikh Gumi, especially as they relate to the activities of bandits/terrorists operating within the North West general area.”
