Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, lashed out yesterday at the Department of State Services (DSS) for what he branded the persecution of his associate, Malam Tukur Mamu.

Mamu was arrested in Cairo, Egypt on Tuesday at the prompting of the DSS, and deported to Nigeria immediately.

The organisation said subsequently that security agencies executed valid search warrants on Mamu’s residence and office during which incriminating materials, including military accoutrements and large amounts in different currencies and denominations as well as financial transaction instruments, were recovered.

But Gumi, in his first reaction to the development, said it was persecution akin to the ordeal of the late Sardauna of Sokoto Sir Ahmadu Bello and former Head of State, General Murtala Muhammed.

He described the night raid of Mamu’s house and office in Kaduna by operatives of DSS as unlawful, claiming that the security operatives who carried out the raids were not different from bandits who also break into people’s homes with guns without recourse to the law.

Mamu  serves as  Gumi’s spokesman and intermediary between bandits and their victims in the North West, his latest intervention being negotiating the release of some of the  victims of the March 28 Abuja-Kaduna train attack from the den of gunmen.

Gumi, in a sermon he delivered in Kaduna on Thursday evening, said Mamu was innocent of the allegations against him by the DSS, and said his only offence was helping families of the hostages to negotiate release of their loved ones.

His words: “This our brother that is being tested by Allah, there is no cause for alarm by Allah’s grace. We should see his travail as a test from Allah. Sometimes Allah tests you so that he can uplift you or lessen your sins. So, what happened to him is nothing to worry about. After all, he is used to it.

“You see, Sardauna passed through similar persecution to the extent that he was locked up, but Allah brought him out and he even became a great leader.

“After Sardauna became a leader, do you know why he was killed? The day he was killed, security operatives came to our house and picked Malam (Sheikh Abubakar Mahmud Gumi) and took him to Nzeogwu, who was then the head of security intelligence. When Nzeogwu saw him, the first thing he asked was, where did you people keep the weapons?

“Malam was expecting to hear the reason Sardauna was killed, but he was confronted with a meaningless question, that where did they keep the weapons? Nzeogwu said they had received intelligence report that Sardauna and Malam were touring Arab countries and gathering weapons they would use to execute Usman Danfodiyo type of Jihad. So, they just moved and killed him.

“So, the killing of Sardauna led to the killing of Nzeogwu himself and hundreds of others. Did he (Nzeogwu) gain? But Sardauna died as a martyr.

“That was how Murtala came and was killed. Do you know why Murtala was killed? They said he was trying to Islamize Nigeria. There is no leader of ours that will come and not suffer unfounded suspicion and security conspiracy.

“So, this sermon is directed at the security agencies to stop persecuting innocent people under the guise of security report; they should wait and carry out their investigations diligently and gather enough evidence to charge an accused person to court as demanded by the law, within 24 hours and allow the Judge to pronounce the person guilty or otherwise.

“But, if you persecute someone, you will not go far. They should leave persecution. Nzeogwu that persecuted and killed Sardauna did not succeed. If you persecute, you should know that you yourself is not safe from persecution.

IBB escaped such persecution and killing because he entered OIC, even Abacha died of same,” Gumi said.

On how he and Mamu got involved in negotiating with bandits, Gumi said: “We discovered that people were being killed recklessly in this country, and instead of us to also fold our arms and enter our houses, we decided to go into the bush and see what exactly was the problem, so that we could have peace.

“But everyone came up with their own interpretations; they said we were supporting the bandits. But, was it when we started meeting the bandits that banditry started? We had gathered them, and they were ready for dialogue.

“Even of recent, journalist have also started having interviews with them and they are saying they are only revenging killings of their people. To them (bandits), they have not committed any crime, they are only revenging killing of their kinsmen.

“So, what is the solution? Let’s go and dialogue. But those in government said no, they are criminals. But, you that are calling them criminals, are you not criminals?

“There is nobody in government today that you will open his file, that you will not find a crime. But instead of people to own up to their crimes, they would be looking for scapegoats, they would be looking for people to implicate.

“I can almost swear to God that what is happening to our brother (Mamu) is what gave birth to banditry; a situation where security operatives would go to their (Fulani) communities and cheat them, kill their wives and children. That was why they said, is it not guns? We too should acquire guns.

“This gentleman (Mamu) is only helping; he is helping and people are being rescued.

“It was the bandits who appointed Mamu as negotiator because they saw that he is fearless in his news publication. But the question of whether Mamu is making mistakes in his duties as negotiator, it is impossible for him not to make mistakes. But you ought to look at the overwhelming success of his intervention.

“But to try to link him with a terrorists group in Egypt…. Imagine this type of lie. Is it with lies that you will achieve success?

“Even journalists have their own faults. When they see one of them reigning, they feel let them just taint his image. He has even fought with the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) severally. So, what can they not do? They would just be reporting lies.

“Also, because Mamu’s name is tied to me, they will just tag us bad names because they have seen that we are saying the truth. I am not even seeing the fault of the government in this, because even the government is a victim of security conspiracy. Even in the security, I don’t see fault of our people. I see fault of our enemies who killed Sardauna.

“There was a time I went to Saudi Arabia, a Colonel told me that the Nigeria’s Security had told them since 2007 to put me and a Nigerian Governor who implemented Shariah law in Nigeria on the watch list.

“Going to his (Mamu) house in the middle of the night to break into it in a draconian way, shows you are not different from bandits. Bandits too come at night, so where is the difference?

‘Bandits don’t follow the law, if you too break into someone’s house without following the law, how are you different? Bandits have guns, you too carry guns. So if both of you don’t follow the laws, you have become bandits.”

Mamu’s in-law arrested, newspaper alleges

The Mamu family and the Desert Herald of which Mamu is publisher said in a statement yesterday that operatives of the DSS have been harassing relations of the detained  negotiator.

They said DSS operatives early yesterday stormed the residence of Abdullahi Mashi, an in-law of Mamu “collected handset phones of the residents, as well as cash and other valuables in the house and whisked him away.”

They asked the DSS to “avoid media trial of Malam Tukur Mamu (Dan Iyan Fika), Publisher, Desert Herald Newspaper whom they arrested and kept in detention since on Tuesday 6th September.

“The DSS in a press release on Thursday 8th September, 2022 titled ‘UPDATE ON TUKUR MAMU’ claimed during their raids on his residence and office in Kaduna that a large sum of money in various currencies and denominations as well as military accoutrements were recovered.

“While the DSS did not indicate the actual amount of the so-called large sum found in his house and office, we want to make it clear that the ‘military accoutrements’ found in his house are military kits (uniform and beret) belonging to his son, Yahaha Bello, a Naval officer who graduated from NDA. Bello was brought up by Tukur and he lives in his house.

“Recall that about two weeks ago, Tukur Mamu’s younger brother, Muhammad Saleh Mamu, an Air Force officer, was killed while on counter terrorism mission in Zamfara.

“Apart from detaining Tukur Mamu with his two sons, Faisal Tukur Mamu and Ibrahim Husaini Mamu, DSS operatives early this morning, at 12am (Friday 9th September, 2022) stormed the residence of Abdullahi Mashi, collected handset phones of the residents, as well as cash and other valuable in the  house and whisked him away. Mashi is an in-law to Mamu.

“The DSS also raided the apartment of Ibrahim Husaini Mamu at about 3am this morning. They could not find anything incriminating in all the houses they raided.”

Mamu was arrested at the Cairo Airport while waiting to connect flight to Saudi Arabia for the lesser Hajj along with his two wives and sons, Faisal and Ibrahim. They were deported to Nigeria on Wednesday and picked up by operatives of the DSS at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport Kano. The two wives have since been released.

When contacted yesterday to respond to the allegations made against the DSS by the Mamu family and his publication, spokesman of the Service, Dr Peter Afunanya, said, Iinvestigations are ongoing.”

Story By

AbdulGafar Alabelewe, Kaduna/Nicholas Kalu,Abuja