𝐆𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐫𝐲
By Wole Olaoye It is impossible to ignore Sheik Ahmad Gumi’s attempt to divide the Nigerian armed forces on religious lines. There are already so many discordant tunes at play on the national stage, but this undisguised ploy to destroy the only institution believed to still have a modicum of national cohesion is frightening. Gumi, a medical doctor, is a cleric, scholar and former captain in the Nigerian Army. He is the eldest son to late Sheik Abubakar Gumi, who was once Grand Khadi of the Northern Region of Nigeria, and head of Sultan Bello Central Mosque in Kaduna. He is credited with paving the way for the founding of the Izala sect in Jos, Plateau State, in 1978. Izala has since grown in influence and number in most parts of northern Nigeria and spread to countries like Niger, Chad and Cameroon, where Boko Haram also operates. He has, over the years, jealously courted controversies under the pretext of defending the rights of Muslims. When he appointed himself the negotiator-...