A group of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide led by Engr. Chidi Ibeh has demanded the arrest and punishment of well-known Islamic scholar Sheikh Ahmed Gumi over his recent remarks about Christians in Nigeria.
According to Gumi, leaving Nigeria’s national security in the hands of Christians and southerners is risky.
He said this while criticising Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), for hosting the Israeli ambassador to Nigeria in his office and expressing plans to work with Israel on security-related matters in Abuja.
Gumi claimed the minister intended to turn Abuja into a satellite city of Tel Aviv.
He added that Muslims with beards in Abuja would be identified as Osama Bin Ladin and executed.
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Ohanaeze referred to the outburst as a hazardous declaration of religious war against Christians in a statement released on Saturday by its Secretary-General, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro.
“We categorically repudiate this divisive rhetoric,” he said, “since it undercuts the principles of religious freedom and inclusion that our great nation stands for.
“Nigeria is a multicultural society where every citizen deserves equal rights and opportunities regardless of religious affiliations.”
Isiguzoro praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for selecting Wike, a Christian and former governor of Rivers State, as the FCT’s minister.
In order to overcome its obstacles and create a prosperous future for all of her residents, he claimed, Nigeria needs unity and progress.
Isiguzoro reiterated the appeal for the appropriate authorities to act immediately against Gumi, but he maintained that the cleric must be detained and charged with treason because his remarks constitute a serious risk to social cohesion and national security.
