Group Hails Army’s Dismissal Of Soldiers Who Killed Yobe Cleric

Nigerian Army has been applauded for dismissing the two soldiers who were involved in gruesome murder of Yobe Islamic scholar, Sheikh Muhammad Goni Aisami.

The Muslim Media Watch Group of Nigeria’s National Coordinator, Mallam Ibrahim Abdullahi and National Missioner, Sheikh Abu Sheriff said the open-trial conducted for the soldiers in the presence of media practitioners had further increased the confidence of the people in the military as regards discipline, rule of law and wiping-out of insecurity in Nigeria.

While commending the Nigerian Army for handing-over of the officers to the Police for civil prosecution, the group called on the inspector-general of police (IGP) to ensure immediate prosecution of the dismissed soldiers and ensure that they were kept in a protective detention now till the end of trial.

It also called on the Yobe State Judiciary not to delay the trial of dismissed soldiers as any delay could lead to further insecurity in the north in particular and Nigeria as a whole.

The group regretted the abolition of Armed Robbery Tribunals and public execution of condemned armed robbers in Nigeria; adding that the situation had further increased criminalities of various dimensions in Nigeria.

In early 70s to 80s, they said, Armed Robbery Tribunals succeeded in reducing to the barest minimum in Nigeria armed robbery cases but with the emergence of civil rule, it was scrapped as it was considered that such tribunals could not operate in a democracy.

They urged clerics to “leave politics to politicians” and face their core mandates of winning souls for spiritual development of Nigeria.