The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Tuesday, condemned the murder of a Yobe State-based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Goni Aisami, who was murdered by a soldier he had offered a lift, as confirmed by the police.
According to a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President condemned “the unprovoked murder” perpetrated by a solder, saying such an act was out of line with military ethos.
Buhari said he is “personally outraged by this criminal and wicked act by a law enforcement official trained to protect life.”
He, therefore, called on the leadership of the Nigerian Armed Forces to “flush out criminals.”
The statement quoted Buhari as saying, “This barbaric murder of a compassionate man by a soldier he had assisted has no place in our training as soldiers, and it negates the entire ethos of military life which is anchored on discipline and respect for the sanctity of innocent lives.
“As the Commander-in-Chief, I am personally outraged by this criminal and wicked act by a law enforcement official trained to protect life.
“By our training, we are guided by a code of conduct that frowns on this kind of reckless and criminal act. It is not in our character and training to put innocent citizens in harm’s way. Of course, the action of this soldier is an isolated incident involving an individual, but it is capable of staining the collective image of our military.”
Also, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III-led Jama’atul Nasril Islam has decried the killing.
The Muslim body urged the Federal Government and the Nigerian Army to hasten the prosecution of the suspects.
Abubakar, through the JNI’s Secretary-General, Dr Khalid Abubakar-Aliyu, in a statement in Kaduna on Tuesday noted that the murder of the cleric must not be treated with levity.
The statement read in part, “JNI received with utmost shock the reported assassination of Aisami and theft of his car.
“To say the least, the Sheikh’s murder was dastardly, reprehensible, and stands condemned, given his kind-hearted nature, who in his own volition offered the assailants a ride in the same car.”
The spokesman of the police command in the state, Dungus Abdulkarim, said the soldiers, who attempted to steal the deceased’s car, had been arrested and would be prosecuted.
Meanwhile, Yobe State Governor, Mai Buni, on Tuesday offered automatic employment to two sons of late Sheikh Aisami.
Buni gave the offer in Damaturu when members of the deceased’s family visited him to express gratitude for his support to them.
He assured them that thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of the cleric would be conducted.
