IPOB, Igbo youths slam Gumi for defending bandits, tag him ‘terrorist’

• Pause constitution review for Biafra issue, CNG asks court
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and a Coalition of South East Youth Leaders (COSEYL) have chided Islamic scholar, Sheikh Abubakar Gumi, over his statement on the kidnap of school children and comparing bandits with the Biafran agitators.

Gumi reportedly said that the “herdsmen only kidnap school children for money,” hence “they are better than IPOB and ESN who go about killing northerners.”

Responding to the allegations yesterday, IPOB denied ever killing any northerner, stressing that its emergence in 2020 was to challenge killer herdsmen and terrorists who go about killing and raping women in their farms in Biafra land.

IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, said: “ESN is a child of necessity for the defence of our ancestral land against terrorists and killer herdsmen wrecking havoc across our communities. ESN is only defending our hapless mothers and sisters who have been raped, maimed and attacked by Fulani herdsmen without any justification.”

Similarly, COSEYL’s President, Goodluck Ibem, and Secretary, Kanice Igwe, stated that Gumi’s position on the kidnap of school children exposed his true identity as a “hardened promoter” of terrorism in the country.

They said: “The crime of kidnapping pupils is the most heinous crime anyone can commit. No sane country will tolerate such heinous crime against humanity. It is a wicked and barbaric crime anyone can commit.

“In truth, Gumi is not a peace negotiator as he claims; he is rather a facilitator of terror. It is very unfortunate that our country, Nigeria, has been reduced to a level where bandits, who kidnap school children, kill security agents who try to stop them, are good people because they are Muslims committing crime to make money.”

THE Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG), yesterday, filed an interlocutory injunction at the Federal High Court, Abuja, seeking the stoppage of the ongoing constitutional amendment for a framework for the South East to secede from Nigeria.

Joined in the suit as defendants are the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami; Senate President, Ahmed Lawan; Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; with members of CNG, Nastura Ashir Shariff, Balarabe Rufa’i, Abdul-aziz Sulaiman and Aminu Adam, as plaintiffs.

The group’s spokesman, Abdul-Aziz Suleiman, said: “We wrote letters to northern emirs, National Assembly and to the court asking the court to determine the termination of Biafra or uphold it.”

CNG is also seeking an order restraining the federal lawmakers from reviewing the constitution, pending the determination of the court.