The Igbo National Council, INC, on Tuesday mounted pressure on the Federal Government to immediately arrest an Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi.
The INC President, Chilos Godsent, said this in Owerri, on the alleged movements of the Jihadist terrorist groups from the Niger Republic, Chad into Nigeria.
The Igbo group said it was the reason while they called for the arrest of Gumi, over his alleged alliance with the dreaded group said to be terrorising the country.
Also, INC, expressed fear if Gumi was not arrested before the 2023 general elections the country would be “gambling on the sword of another bloody conflict.”
According to Chilos, “The Igbo National Council (INC) Worldwide has taken time to study and analyze the unprovoked trend of escalation of militancy, brigandism, killings and destruction of life’s and properties in many states of the Igbo Nation in Nigeria and therefore resolve.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria should be held responsible for the escalating militancy and wanton killings and destruction of life’s and properties in South East and North Central geopolitical zones of Nigeria.
“The INC demand the immediate redeployment of all the serving Commissioners of Police, Directors of the Department State Security (DSS) and all heads of Brigade Commanders in South East and North Central geopolitical zones as the first step to mitigating the militancy and escalation of killings in the aforementioned regions.”
“Consequent upon the suspicion of conscious exportation of Jihadist terrorist from the Republic of Niger and Chad respectively to North Central Zone and Southern Nigeria states by suspected Jihadist Leaders in North West and North East geopolitical zones of Nigeria who has severally spoken in Defence of Bandits and Boko Haram attacks of other ethnic nationalities in Nigeria, the Igbo National Council (INC) therefore calls for the immediate arrest and prosecution of the controversial Islamic Cleric – Sheikh Ahmad Gumi for his alliance and obvious support of Boko Haram that are killings Nigerians, sacking many communities and forcefully acquiring the lands of aboriginal Nigerians.
“We wish to state categorically without fear of contradiction that if the controversial Islamic Cleric – Sheikh Ahmad Gumi is not immediately arrested and prosecuted, Nigeria State may be gambling on the sword of another bloody conflict before the 2023 Election Year. Sheikh Ahmad Gumi and his allies should know that no single person or group has a monopoly of violence and therefore should not take Nigerians for granted or their silence as weakness,” INC said.
