By Saadu Umar
Many critics of Gumi can’t see the wood for the trees, hence their growing call to stifle and limit his liberty, beliefs and free speech.
To be sure, Gumi isn’t a bandit neither is he a bandits’ backer. How could he be when it’s haram! Gumi’s forays into bandits den were restricted to calling them to lay down their arms, retrace their steps, embrace God, and repent.
Indeed his views on banditry (hiraaba) as I hear him say, is informed by the provisions of Qur’an 4: 33-34. In his tafsirs, at every opportunity, Gumi rightly describes and denounces hiraaba as a crime against the state worthy of the prescribed hadd – capital punishment. But we all know what is happening in the Northwest and other affected states is a little bit more complex than the hiraaba as we know it.
The Fulanis, major ‘culprits’ in this banditry, have suffered untold injustices in the hands of the state, traditional institutions and the citizens. I know this, I saw it since I was barely 11. For instance, a minor encroachment on a farm will cost the life or limb of the Fulani herder, a hefty fine in court or big bribe and extortion in the hands of police. Their grazing lands were usurped and giving to rich farmers. These injustices have continued unabated to date. All this has turned them into amoral, nihilistic insurgents. Perhaps, delusional jihadists!
The historical Injustices served on the Fulanis are so notorious that they joke about it and mock the Fulanis. I have a personal anecdote to buttress this:
A fortnight ago, at a park close to Apo roundabout in Abuja, I listened to a crude raillery between a Fulani and a Hausa, who speaks Sakkwatanci—Western Hausa dialect. The Hausaman was telling the Fulani that if given the chance, he would do what the “hukuma” (security agents) “Sarki” (traditional rulers) and “sarkin fawa” (butchers) do to him. By this he meant cheating the Fulani is okay. I chipped in to be sure what he meant. He said he’ll usurped anything and everything the Fulani has. And I retorted by saying that’s why “we kidnap and kill you too” —jokingly of course. I’m Fulani too.
The Injustice of the state is its failure to provide security for the lives and livestock of the Fulanis —rustlers have rustled their cattle, armed robbers rob them and murder them. The systemic corruption in the police and judiciary means that the Fulanis can’t get justice when the ‘Sarki’ or ‘Sarkin Fawa’ cheat them. The impunity ensures that the state and citizens dehumanise the Fulanis: their cattle kill for food; their kind kill for fun! The Fulanis are left to their own devices and ordinary Nigerians are the worse for it.
Of course, there are other underlining causes of this banditry like unemployment, poverty, illiteracy, governors, civil wars in neighbouring nations, external conspiracies, destruction of Libya etc.
Thus, it’s easy to see that something beyond bombs and bullets is needed. The Nigerian armed forces have been bombing and shooting at banditry for over a decade now but they’re unable to stop the abductions, at least, the kind we just saw at Kuriga and many other places.
Worse, sometimes it results in catastrophic outcomes like Tudun Biri where about 120 innocent citizens, mostly children, were wasted erroneously by military drones.
More, the cost of the war isn’t limited to unintentional occasional killings of civilians, it includes lives and limbs of dozens of servicemen, downed air force jets, military vehicles and tonnes of Naira notes.
Dr Gumi has put his head over the parapet so as to reduce these costs. His perspective is by no means justificatory or exculpatory. He might not be an epitome of oratory but his prescription, even if in provocative language, is worth looking at: fight corruption, strengthen the state –Nigeria is a weak state, if state is about monopoly of legitimate use of force, protection of citizens and provision of services like healthcare, education etc, talk to the Fulanis, educate them—teach them “high self-control,” integrate them into the mainstream society, provide jobs for them — farming can consume all of them— and alleviate their extreme poverty.
I must add that Tinubu’s Pulaku Initiative would help if it’s not corrupted. Better spending of security votes by governors would help too.
Lastly, the President should be open-minded and lend listening ear to dissenting voices including Gumi’s. For Dr Gumi’s prescription is part of the solution and if you think it’s the problem, Wallahi you have a problem.
Saad Umar writes from Bauchi and can be reached at saadumaresq@yahoo.com
