Boko Haram Are Not Muslims – ACF Chairman

Boko Haram insurgents

A former Inspector General of Police and Chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Alhaji Ibrahim Coomassie has said time was ripe for power to shift to the north. He also declared that Boko Haram are not Muslims, while criticising the government’s handling of insurgency in the country.

“They are not true Muslims. True Muslims will not do what Boko Haram is doing. It is unislamic. You can’t be killing people and say you are a Muslim. Nobody has the right to take the life of another except you follow due process such that the person is convicted of a crime that is punishable by death. Under any guise, you have no right to kill a fellow human being. It is totally wrong,” said Coomassie in an interview with Vanguard.

Coomassie also wondered why the government chose to deceive Nigerians about a ceasefire deal, which was announced in October. According to him, the government was not set up as claimed; there was never a ceasefire.

“…there was no ceasefire in the first place. It was bunkum. Somebody was just trying to bring it out, for whatever reason I don’t know. But what has Nigerians gained from it?” he asked.

The government, according to him, has not been showing commitment to its constitutional duty of ensuring security of lives.

“…they don’t seem to be doing anything. Should we allow people to be continued to be killed? Seven to nine traditional title holders, emirs and chiefs in the North-east who abandoned their domains are now hiding somewhere in Abuja. Emir of Gwoza was killed by these people. His successor was pursued, he had to go into hiding. The late emir of Kano was attacked. Shehu of Borno was attacked. Should we continue to watch? Can’t we do something? What are the agencies responsible for internal security doing? What is the government doing? There is more to it than meets the eye. The whole scenario seems to suggest there is a hidden agenda.”

Coomassie also lamented the state of the nation’s economy, saying “We have poverty inspite of our wealth, it is so pronounced. Why? We still have, especially in this part of the country, children roaming the streets begging. Should that be in the 21st century? Shouldn’t it be the responsibility of government to provide education for all children in the country irrespective of where they come from, irrespective of where the revenue is coming from? These are some of the things that are pertinent in the development of this country and it has a lot to do with leadership and interest of individuals in government,” he said.

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