Police and State Security Service (SSS) operatives are on a 24-hour
surveillance of the Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Sheik Ahmed Gumi, over his
recent comments.
A top SSS source, who revealed this
to our correspondent in a telephone interview, added that though Gumi had
always been under watch by security operatives in the last few years, but the
current action “is an order from above”.
Asked if he would likely be
arrested, the source said, she cannot confirm that for now.
“But I can say, we are watching him
very closely and we have been doing that in the last few days.
“You cannot be talking about arrest
now. We work according to directive, the directive we have now is clear; we are
told to watch him.”
When Daily Independent contacted the communication officer of
the State Service Department, Mrs. Marylen Ogar, over the development, she said
on telephone that security issues are not discussed on pages of newspapers.
“But, I must say that the service is
doing fine of late and we shall continue in the same spirit or even double it
this year, to ensure that this country is safe enough for any peace loving
individual to reside in.
“We are on top of the game and very
soon, we shall tell the public how far we have gone in terms of intelligence
gathering.”
Sources revealed that, security
agents are studying many of the Gumi’s statements of late.
“We are looking at his recent
statement about the Nigeria government deployment of troop to Mali and his last
week’s comment over the Halicopter crash in Bayelsa State, in which the Kaduna
State governor, Sir Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa, died”.
Investigation revealed that, police
and SSS operatives are, apart from analysing his statements, undercover agents
are also studying audio and video tapes of the sermons in which Gumi asserted
that Yakowa died along with former National Security Adviser, General Andrew
Azazi, while strategising against Northern Nigerian Muslims.
Gumi allegedly affirmed that Yakowa
had been engaging in an anti-Muslim agenda, and that it was therefore necessary
to avoid the emergence of non-Muslims as governor of Kaduna State in the
future.
It was this point that some senior
citizens of Kaduna State raised in a detailed memo in which they expressed
concern that Gumi’s weekly sermon was likely to cause serious ethno-religious
crisis in Kaduna town.
According to the source, the eminent
personalities from Kaduna are of the view that due to the volatile nature of
Kaduna State, urgent intervention and consultation has become necessary.
“The prominent people from Kaduna
State wrote the memo, and included it with audio and video tapes of Gumi’s
preaching,” the source continued.
“Gumi, in one of the tapes, which I
will give you the Internet link, indeed said that Yakowa and Azazi died while
meeting on anti-Muslim issues.
“He was also heard in the tape
saying that, it was a plan with General Gowon, using the burial in Bayelsa as a
cover up for them to meet, and that is why Yakowa followed Azazi alone without
his ADC.
“Gumi, in the audio tape, also said
that the Muslims of Kaduna State should never allow a situation that will bring
about a non-Muslim to be governor, alluding to the fact that it was Allah that
did this (crash) for the impending danger being planned against Muslims.”
He said the Kaduna personalities who
wrote the petition demanded action against any cleric, Muslim or Christian, who
preaches incitement and hate.
Security operatives stressed that
they are marking every move that the Islamic preacher is taking these days,
because of what is described as, “his suspicious and unclear moves.”
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