A renowned Sokoto-based Islamic scholar, Sheikh Muhammad Bello Yabo, has said Nigeria’s Northern region is bleeding as a result of the killings and deprivations in the region.
Reacted to the bombing of villagers during Maulud celebration at Tudun Biri village, Kaduna State on Sunday night, Sheikh Yabo said the most regrettable is that most of the error bombings happened in the Northern region without a single one occurring in the Southern part of the country.
In his reaction to the bombing of Maulud celebrants by Nigerian Army drone posted in a viral video clip in social media, the renowned Islamic cleric said: “It was not the first time the bombs were dropped on innocent people by security agencies, and they would claim it was a mistake. They once targeted IDPs in Borno. Same in Yobe. They also dropped a bomb in Nasarawa, and now it happened in Kaduna.
“Till date, the military has not made any error bombing in Southern or Eastern parts of this country. It always happens in the North because of our lack of unity.
“North is bleeding. Bandits kill us. Hunger kills us. And the military that are supposed to protect us are also killing us. This is too much for us. Who do we report to if not Allah. And we are telling him to have mercy on us and protect us.”
Sheikh Yabo also claimed that the killings persisted because Northern leaders were not united due to interests, describing the continuous detention of Kaduna-based Publisher, Tukur Mamu ,by the Nigerian government as complete injustice.
The scholar said Mamu’s offence was simply negotiating between the terrorists and families of abducted Kaduna-Abuja train passengers last year.
Sheikh Yabo said the atrocities committed by Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Igboho against the Fulanis in the Southern part of the country were more serious than what Mamu was accused of. But Igboho was released from detention after his arrest in Benin Republic.
“His Yoruba kinsmen intervened on his behalf, and he was later released. If it was a northerner that did what Sunday Igboho did, his northern kinsmen would have been the ones calling for his death by sacrificing him. Today, where is our brother Tukur Mamu? His only offense was to intervene between the terrorists and the victims’ families.
“He was not the only person doing the same because even the security agencies are involved in playing an intermediary role. Today, they tagged him a terrorist for playing an intermediary role between the terrorists and the victims’ family.
“Till date, he is in detention, and we have not heard any northern figure talking about Tukur Mamu. Everybody knows that Mamu’s continuous detention is pure injustice. We know Tukur Mamu better than you because he is our brother,” he said.
He urged Northerners to always unite and stop envying each other, begging the military to do everything to reduce the killings of innocent lives in the North.