Controversial Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has called on Nigerians not to vilify Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, over the current security challenge in the country.
He stressed that Nigerians should praise him over his handling of insecurity and banditry when he was governor of Zamfara State.
In the past few days, Matawalle has come in for serious criticism after one of his former aides accused him of paying out huge sums of money to bandit leaders including the notorious Bello Turji, as well as buying them cars and building houses for them all in a bid to get them to maintain peace.
Turji himself had come out to deny the allegations saying though he held peace talks with Matawalle, he never collected any gift from him but that has but deterred Nigerians from calling for the sack of the former governor.
But in a statement on his official Facebook page on Sunday, the Kaduna-based Islamic scholar said instead of calling for Matawalle’s sack, Nigerians should rather praise him because he did the right thing by engaging the bandits and terrorists.
In the statement titled “Politics apart: Minister Bello Mutawalle is in the right position,” Gumi said:
“Military experts have cautioned that communal conflicts are only tackled effectively with none kinetic approach. They say the Military component is about only 25%.
“The minister is one of the few governors who realised this fact when he was the governor of Zamfara State, whose protection of the people’s lives was his primary responsibility.
“By reaching out to the aggrieved warring parties, he has almost brought banditry to a standstill. The Gusau-Anka-Gummi road was safe during his tenure. I plighted the route.
“I travelled from Wurno-Isa- Shinkafi- Gusau road, which was a no-go area for many years. Cattle markets were opened then, and life was returning to normal when it was disrupted by military non-cooperation, and hostilities resumed.
“Now with a peacemaker in the Ministry of Defense, as a state minister, it is putting round pegs into round holes. There is no time for petty local politics.
“I wish the federal Government’s new paradigm shift in approach to insecurity complete success and for all Nigerians, unity, peace, and progress. Amin.”
