For many years, million of lives have been wasted by the insurgents domiciled in Northern Nigeria. Billion of Naira expended to no avail. The military have been in search of the terrorist groups hideouts and have not found any. Insurgency persists, soldiers are been ambushed and killed in hundreds. Hostage taking, and billion of Naira has so far been paid for ransom. This is done almost every other day, yet the country soldiers don’t know where the terrorists are.
But Sheikh Ahmad Abubakar Gumi a Nigerian Islamic Scholar knows where to find the terrorists. He usually hold meetings with them. He sit comfortably with the terrorists and both parties feel at home. While the terrorists tell Gumi their grievances, Nigerians are never told what the Islamic Scholar discuss with them. Perhaps it’s tagged “security report”. Thus it must not be made public, but given only to the Federal Government. But thinking aloud, why is Gumi or the Federal Government not sharing the scholar’s discoveries with the military?
Should we continue in insecurity? Is the FG comfortable with regular payment of ransom? Should we believe the former Deputy Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria – CBN, Dr. Obadiah Mailafia school of thought who says, insecurity in Northern Nigeria is a private business owned by a cluster of people in power?
Where it’s not, the Federal Government of Nigeria should officially make Sheikh Gumi an Envoy in the military.
As the military could not unravel terrorists hideouts for many years, having a bicameral military operations with Sheikh Gumi as a Plenipotentiary Chief of Army Staff by virtue of a “Doctrine of Necessity” will not be out of place.
