Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has advised the Federal Government, to stop its blackmail of the media over insurgency.
His statement on Friday was on the heels of declaration by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, who hinted of government’s plans to sanction Daily Trust and BBC Africa which it accused of glorifying terror in its reports.
The minister, at a press conference had said both media organisations and some others were helping spread terror messages by insurgents.
It addressed the press on account of a recent broadcast by BBC Africa Eye which showed a documentary on “The Bandits Warlords of Zamfara”
But reacting on Friday, Gumi said the government is merely looking for scapegoats to cover up its failures in securing the country.
“FG’s attempt in trying to find a scapegoat to justify its glaring failure after wasting over $16 billion in the last seven years without any commensurate result on security and efforts to blackmail certain media organisations for their patriotism in reporting the crisis is unfortunate and should be resisted by all responsible media organisations,” he said.
“What is happening in Nigeria today, especially in the North West as clearly captured by the BBC, is more of an ethnic war and reprisal killings and attacks due to the government’s failure to address well-documented instances of injustices that were initially done to the Fulanis.
“What do you expect from a society (Fulani) that was left in total ignorance and lack of education, especially when their primary means of livelihood (cattle) has been completely rustled by other criminal elements within and outside our security agencies without any effort by the government to address the injustice.
“As I talk to you now, cattle rustling has not stopped. Many law-abiding Fulanis have fallen victims to the official extortion of their cows. I have well-documented evidence involving some security agents in which I personally intervened. How do you expect as a government to address insecurity, especially related to Fulani bandits without addressing such instances of extortion and rustling?
“When a Commander-in-Chief rewards failure with ambassadorial appointments in a system and a society that records increased attacks, when security agencies cannot even protect Abuja and especially when the Guards Brigade cannot even protect themselves not to talk of the President, then why blame the media for such failure and ineptitude for reporting it?”
Gumi and the government had exchanged differing positions on security issues.