The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has accused the Nigerian government of shielding controversial Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, because of his religious standing.
The CAN Chairman in Adamawa State, Rev. Dr. Stephen Dami Mamza, who doubled as the Catholic bishop of Yola diocese, stated this, adding that authorities in Nigeria were playing double standards.
Mamza noted that Sheikh Gumi and cohorts were being treated with kid gloves despite their inflammatory statements on critical national issues; while others were being hounded and persecuted.
According to him, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu was being arbitrarily incarcerated while Sheikh Gumi was allowed to tear the country with hate speech and extremism.
In a sermon on Sunday, Bishop Mamza reacted to Sheikh Gumi’s attack on President Bola Tinubu for appointing Nyesom Wike, a Christian southerner, as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Saharareporters had on October 19, 2023 published Sheikh Gumi’s full sermon, claiming that Nigerian Christians, southerners cannot be trusted with power like northern Muslims.
Reacting on Sunday, the Christian cleric wondered why the Nigerian government was quiet over Gumi, while other citizens were being persecuted.
“It is disheartening to witness the emergence of individuals who propagate hate speech and foster division among faith communities.
“The statements of Sheikh Gumi against Christians have alarmed and saddened so many Christians and so many Muslims as well; and those who are neither Christians nor Muslims.
“Sheikh Gumi, despite his education and exposure has shown that he is a religoius bigot and an extremist that is prepared to bring division in Nigeria. It is important for Sheikh Gumi and his cohorts to know that the FCT is not exclusively the property of anybody. And the position of the minister should not be restricted to individuals from any specific religion or tribe. There’s no part of this country that is exclusively made for a particular religion or tribe.
“FCT is not for Islam, FCT is not for Christianity and FCT is not for the North, neither is it for the South. It is the federal capital for Nigeria.
“If the statements made by Gumi were made by someone else, the person would have been arrested long time ago; and the person would have been put to jail.
“The relationship between Gumi and bandits should be investigated but nobody wants to talk about it. His sympathy towards the bandits, his relationship with the bandits needs to be investigated.
“What has Nnamdi Kanu done for God sake? Even if he has done something, he has never said anything worse than what Gumi said when it comes to division and polarisation in this country.
“Kanu is still in prison, he is still under detention. And the courts have said he should be released. What is the government waiting for?
“He was arrested and detained but nobody will think of going to arrest Gumi, or invite him to the DSS (Department of State Services) or police headquarters to answer questions; nobody will do that because some Nigerians are more Nigerians than others.”
Bishop Mamza ended his sermon with a passionate call for Nigerian government to free Namdi Kanu.
