The Alliance for Oke-Ogun Development (AOD), a socio-political group in the Oke-Ogun area of Oyo State, has accused controversial cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi of plotting to relocate bandits dislodged in the north to their area.
The group alleged that the recent visit by Gumi to Igboho area of Oyo State was an attempt to relocate bandits being chased out of Northern Nigeria to Oke-Ogun.
The National Coordinator of AOD, Otunba Abiodun Fasasi, said in a statement that the visit was a clandestine move by Gumi and others to make Oke-Ogun area a hotbed of violence.
The group described it as ‘Fulanisation Agenda’.
The body made reference to a recent video showing the Islamic scholar with Prof. Usman Yusuff, a professor of Hematology-oncology during his visit to Igboho, with a claim that the visit was for the continued unity of Nigeria.
“It is rather mindboggling to hear that Sheikh Gumi and his co-travellers were in Igboho, Oke-Ogun. Sheikh Gumi is known all over the world as the harbinger, mastermind, mouthpiece, solicitor and patron of banditry in Nigeria. To him, there’s nothing wrong with banditry; as a matter of fact, he sees it as a flourishing business.
“It is more disturbing that an indigene of Oke-Ogun can willingly be a host to a personality like Gumi. We want the DSS (Department of State Services) to investigate the real reason for his visit and the host equally has to be investigated, this is a person consumed by his passion for banditry to the extent of drawing an analogy between banditry and Niger Delta militancy.
“As if that’s not enough, he is the one saddled with the responsibility of championing the course of amnesty for the bandits. He recently accused the Nigerian President of political gullibility for tackling the bandits, trivialising the military action ongoing in Zamfara known as festival of fire by tagging it an unwise decision that no reasonable solution can come out of.
“Against the backdrop of the above, convincingly we now know better who Sheikh Gumi is, having seen the handwriting on the wall as the military action is neutralising, eliminating and destroying the bandits in their scores and as the bandits are fleeing the northern parts of the country, especially Zamfara and its environs. It’s unacceptable for Gumi and his bandits to see Oke-Ogun, Oyo State as their haven.
“This will never be condoned, without mincing words, we can say Gumi has come as an advance party for the relocation of the bandits, hence, the apex sociopolitical group in Oke-Ogun, Alliance For Okeogun Development (AOD) uses this medium to charge the federal government, the Oyo State Chief Security Officer, Gov. Seyi Makinde, to look into this case and nip in the bud any untoward actions that Sheikh Gumi’s visit may cause our peaceful region.
“We also call on our traditional rulers and the entire people of the state to be at alert against individuals that are strangers and might portend danger to our well-being.”
The group condemned Yusuff for saying that Igboho community was made popular by whom he called “a detainee in Benin Republic”, referring to Chief Sunday Adeyemo (AKA Sunday Igboho).
A video went viral recently where Gumi was seen with Yusuff at Igboho preaching Nigerian unity, and saying they observed Fulani people and natives doing their businesses in peace while cows were grazing in their courtyards.
Usman said in the video: “This is a town made popular by a detainee in Benin Republic, Nigeria is one and will always be one, we have just seen the hinterland where we have seen examples of how we should live and this is how we can all come together, all faiths, all tribes.
“You see the town we went to, Ilesha Ibariba, you see churches, you see mosques, you see Fulanis, you see natives, all coming together and people are saying Nigeria is divided,” he observed. ##
