National Issues
How To Break Boko Haram (V) -By Brig. Gen. Gumi
On the sight of a free and fair
Similarly, President Obasanjo it was who introduced so many laudable national projects that could have nipped the entire security situation at earliest convenience but his Government would down play on diligence required to implement them with dire consequences. Other times they were overtaken by ill motivated forces. The delay in the managing the effectiveness of the National ID card and the registration of mobile phone lines are very handy examples that resemble the slow pace of managing the BH crisis itself because they both could nip criminality in the bud. The sales of Federal Government landed properties, another sensitive item within crisis ridden period of indigene or no indigene, is another example of a project apparently implemented well in some areas while it took years to achieve same in other parts of the Country. The attitude gave the room for system arbitrariness, adjustments, corruption and impugned consequences.
Distinguishing Pagan Identities And The Use Of The Word ‘Arne’ Unperturbed.
The above background brings to bear on the general conflict situation getting out of control between Muslims and Christians in Northern Nigeria. A contest between the duo as to who owns more virtuous and model qualities ahead of the other transmuted to competition of who survives the treachery of the other unperturbed. Unperturbed because other Muslims see their fellows on the wrong path of the treachery and yet allow it as if their divine claims of holy sources have now been updated to accommodate their new found ways and approaches against their Christian brethrens. How can a learned Muslim refer to a Christian as ‘arne’ when it literally means ‘infidel’ and that the Quran has distinguished the Christian brethren with good and respectful titles not the least in such forms. The word ‘arne ‘Hausa’ word was originally used on pagan communities before their conversion to Islam.
It behooves on Muslim clergy, knowing full well that use of the word on Christians is a cause of friction and conflict to correct the impression mainly because it is wrong and also in order not to allow mischievous people from exploiting such gaps to achieve different negative objectives. Other tribes and ethnic groups have similar derogatory words for non members but the Muslims must appreciate that Hausa magnanimity brought other tribes to also largely communicate in Hausa to its greater advantage but should not allow a mix up with faulty religious perceptions. The root cause of friction between Muslims and Christians may have been the mischief exploited around the use of the word on Christians by careless Muslim preachers and lay about.
Sale And Distribution Of The Book ‘Who Is This Allah’ Unperturbed.
The seeming reaction to the provocation posed by Muslims calling Christian infidels, may have elicited a counter reaction for the latter to lose patience as to paint Muslims in unpalatable ways. The Book print ‘Who is This Allah’ referred to was dedicated to the creation of Christian hate on Islam. The first impression I had after reading the book ‘Who is this Allah’ is that it is not a Christian book to have dwelt into details of Islamic concepts with a view to demonizing them. This is because Christianity predates Islam and cannot therefore gain by demonization of Islam. Christian wellbeing does not at all depend on Islam just as it’s crave for virtue cannot accommodate wild accusations of in dignity. Islam that came much later is the religion that must look for space within Christianity to make a meaning to the latter.
The dedication paragraph of the edition in question quickly added up the story meant to settle scores with purported Muslim violence against Christians of Northern Nigeria as well as the 911 US twin tower terrorist Attack of 2001. The author, GJO Moshe is clearly stingy with his own religious identity or background to be credible. He left out the link between the terrorist acts and their factual conducts or blame on persons, as to heap the cause of their actions on Islam itself, its Quran, and in the life and teachings of its Prophet albeit out of anger and context. The worry is that this book is receiving high sales in Christian bookshops unperturbed. Much of the impressions on the BH character may have been made up in official quarters by circulation of the same book as to make reorientation within Government circle and change difficult. Christian clergy who are experts in the assessment of true Christian teachings should not remain silent in the event someone is using their exalted forum to impersonate and promote hatred especially when the basis is false and the roots are from non Christian authors.
Atonement For The Losses Of The Lives Of The Innocent; The 60 Days Prescriptive Fasting
In spite of the general defenses of accident or mistake in criminal liability, the Quran yet prescribed atonement worship for any Muslim who kills another under the circumstance. Chapter 4:92 prescribes 60 days consecutive fasting on the person affected based on stringent Quranic ruling that one life is as good as the entire mankind and so it is for its loss. The collateral damage known to the BH operations, especially in civilian and in built up areas is attendant with high innocent casualties. While members of the armed forces are assumed to be doing their best, Muslim cooperation to the military efforts, in the earlier days were not as encouraging as to help minimize innocent casualties. There is the need for the Clergy to determine circumstances under which those who could have given in to mistaken acts or omissions that led to deaths of persons not known to have been complicit to be advised to atone by the kaffara fasting. And should this be difficult to determine, the Ulama should probably advise on general multiplication of 60 days supererogatory fasting to be encouraged along with the routine prayers for return of peace to the Country at large. It is beneficent that under the Sharia a person obliged to attone with the 60 days fasting is not required to multiply same by the number of persons who died as a result of his mistaken actions within the same circumstances.
Drawing A Line On Extra Judicial Killings Generally
The trial or non trial of those policemen alleged to have killed BH leader Muh Yusuf is not at all a priority when extra judicial killings are in numbers. Taking laws into hands without due process is noticeably rampant and this was precipitated by frustrations within the criminal and judicial processes. Without any lawful excuse ever, we give in to the fact that the system has been overwhelmed by too slow pace of the justice system and the reluctance of criminals to give into or be subdued by justice. My first encounter with extra judicial killings was about the year 2002 when I had to advise against giving permission to a sister security outfit, the use of a military range for ‘some activity’. Extra judicial treatment of criminality is an aberration and especially when it spreads to point of notoriety, as in when aired by credible media sources. Even the judiciary cannot stand aloof to issues of notoriety to wait until cases are brought in for determination. Everyone must be seen to condemn and/or frown at it even for respect of citizenship status, law and order principles and desire to be counted with the civilized.
At no time therefore, should we allow any one member of the society, not the least a public servant to go about bragging over his extra judicial undertakings. And consequently no one should be made to feel secure from the law for obeying illegal orders related to extra judicial sentences. Efforts must discourage the pardon of affected persons or using the pardon in such a way as to promote the condo nation of such an act. The case of late Muh Yusuf need not be given any particular relevance or isolated treatment for what he has turned out to be but a general line must be drawn by the Government, after due consideration of public policy and this should be seen by all to foreclose any such future occurrence.
Tribute To Our New President
I wish to join all and sundry to welcome in the President and Commander in Chief of the FRN, Muhammadu Bukhari GCFR, by no means the most recognized people’s choice ever to be so passionately acclaimed in recent history. Methinks he is from outer space to maintain the brand of the Truthful for so Nigerian long. He is much like his grandfather, the proverbial Bayajidda said to be an Arab from Bagdad who defied all difficulties to kill the snake that would not let Daura be. A journey accurately calculated by him, when those that started with or joined him midway miscalculated it as shorter and along the line became impatient to call him weak, overbearing, under bearing, snobbish, soft, old, uncertified etc and yet they had to follow. They were eventually crawling until the game was up without them realizing that it had been won and over.
Pretty much like the long journey between Musa (AS) and Khadir (AS) with each of them endowed with a shade of wisdom not known to the other. Musa AS was looking for that person who surpassed him and was to test himself whether or not he could humble himself to withstand following superior specialized wisdom-to train and pass exams of teacher of a kind- much like to run a course of study within a particular time frame. Quran verse 81.67 (Khidir said)“Verily you will not be able to have patience with me,( again and again)and Musa kept on saying ’If Allah wills you will find me patient and I will not disobey you in aught’ ..(18.69). He (Khidir) said ‘then if you follow me, ask me not about something until I myself mention of it to you’ (18.70) Khidir said ‘Did I not tell you that you can have no patience with me?’ (18.76) Moses said ‘ ‘If I ask you any further question after this, keep me not in your company anymore for I would then give you an excuse’(18.78) Khidir said ‘ This is the parting between me and you (as in Musa failed to qualify, took excuse and Khidir granted it). But (Khidir said) ‘I will now tell you the interpretation of those things over which you were unable to hold patience’”.
For long I saw Baba Buhari with personality akin to the lessons learnt in Suratul (chapter) Kahf and I bet you must read it every Friday as recommended, to get the analogy. It is about a contest of virtue between candidates“ Verily We have made that which is on earth as an adornment for it, in order that We may test them as to which of them are best in deeds.” And “it is an example for us to ponder about:”And “indeed we have put forth every kind of example in this Quran, for mankind but man is ever more quarrelsome than anything to understand it“(18.54). The President was first invited by people as that Man with the Wisdom to wrestle Nigeria from PDP and take it to great heights. Yet these same people will not pass the test of following him. They were impatient and like the example of Musa AS. Everyone can only pass his own test but everyone before a teacher or a particular course of study has a capacity in following or passing specialized field of study. Again Verse 109 said “Say if the sea were ink for(writing)the words of my Lord, surely, the sea would be exhausted before the words of my Lord would be finished, even if We brought (another sea) like it for its aid ”.It means every one must submit to his limit of comprehension as knowledge is unquantifiable. To have a lot of knowledge is therefore not the essence but for it to be useful and to be able to give in to ones limitations, submit to superior wisdom and be patient to the more endowed (the specialist in his own field) until opportunity to ask questions avail itself.
In the ANPP, CPC APC Trip of about 15 years, we hardly see someone who started with President M Buhari and remained to date without retraction no matter how slight. Indeed we saw some that started with him and those who became elected simply by tagging with him yet moving in and out of his cloak until the game is up and they are caught up on the other side. The President has remained benevolent with carpet movements until almost every one moved to his Party to clearly define the win much akin to the example of Zhul Qarnain (AS):”They ask you about Zhul Qarnain” (apparently also like from outer space). “ Say I shall recite to you something of his story…He followed cause and effect” and met three set of communities one after the other and each will after encounter, it would seem, follow him to the next in the search for solution to a common problem. First at the ‘setting place of the sun’, he met a community which were though corrupt but remained quiet for him to discover whatever they feared that made them to hang on to the state of corruption they found themselves in (compare with the 2003 Buhari appearance before his investigation to free and fair elections).
Then the second at the ‘rising place of the sun’, another community who have no privacy and at this juncture, (even when they refused to talk) he could discern loss of privacy in them and fright as their main reason to hang on to the corrupt state (2007 encounter). They again all followed him to the third group, the most frightened and in whom keeping quite was no more feasible because the intense lack of privacy had made survival itself improbable through silence.
– Brig. Gen. Gumi (
