Ex-Niger Delta militant leaders have described as “provocative, reprehensible, and despicable” the recent statements by Sheikh Ahmad Gumi against the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

The Islamic cleric had in a video sermon posted on his official Facebook page, labeled Nyesom Wike as “Satan” for receiving the Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria in his office.

The cleric in the sermon also asserted that President Bola Tinubu would be stopped from serving for eight years.

The ex-militant leaders warned Sheikh Gumi and his collaborators to refrain from actions and unguarded comments capable of provoking the people of the Niger Delta.

The ex-militant leaders, under the auspices of the Movement for the Sustainable Development of the Niger Delta (MSDND) in a statement on Friday, October 20, by its national coordinator, Ayibatekena Olodin, expressed suspicion that Sheikh Gumi may be representing groups of corrupt individuals who plunged the FCT into an abysmal state.

The MSDND described Gumi’s utterance as disheartening, wondering that some individuals still engaged in hate speech and divisive rhetorics seeking to use religion to sow seeds of discord among Nigerians.

They also described the statement as a provocative reminder of the inequality, mass genocide and monumental fraud perpetrated by some Northerners under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

The ex-militants said while the people of the Niger Delta region considered Gumi as a dissident in the northern region, it must be pointed out that the FCT is not a northern state-owned capital but a detribalised territory owned by all Nigerians.

The MSDND said: “We have resolved to point out to Gumi and his likes that the massive fraud in the FCT including a garnishment order to the tune of $800 million against the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) was perpetrated under a Nothern minister and a Northern President.

“The FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, is only making very hard decisions to restore the economy of the FCT. It is a sad reminder that Gumi could not speak out when his alleged sponsors were kidnapping, maiming, and killing northerners under the guise of Islamic fundamentalists.

“Where was he when former President Buhari used Nigeria’s infrastructures and souls of Nigerians to borrow money? Suddenly, he turned to an activist against the FCT administration.

“We challenge Gumi and his cohorts to mention a state Governor that has performed in their Northern states such as Nyesom Wike since the advent of democratic rule. Wike is the pride of the Niger Delta region.”

They, however, said that despite the provocative stance of Gumi and his cohorts, the people of the region stand firm in support of their son, brother, and leader, Nyesom Wike, and called on the security agencies to immediately commence an investigation of Gumi over his alleged ties with terrorists and their activities across the country.

They strongly called on the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Hon. Dele Alake, to ensure that the revenues from the mining of precious minerals in the North such as gold are domiciled in the nation’s treasury.

The ex-militants warned that the failure of the Northern states to allow collective revenue into the nation’s purse would force the youths from the Niger Delta to truncate crude oil exploration and deny Northern states the benefits.

They equally urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to embark on an urgent review of mining policies and ensure revenue from mining activities is domiciled in the nation’s purse, noting that “we stand ready to champion this cause to ensure that all revenues from our nation’s resources are brought into the national treasury.

“We are ready to cut off the Northern states from crude oil exploration revenue if the monies from mining activities are not domiciled with the Federal Government.” (The Nation)

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