SaharaReporters reported on Monday that the Nigerian military on Sunday killed scores of Muslims celebrating the birthday of Prophet Muhammad (Maulid Nabiyy) in the state.
A Sokoto-based Islamic scholar, Sheikh Muhammad Yabo, has condemned the military bombing of villagers during the Maulud celebration at Tudun Biri village, Kaduna State.
SaharaReporters reported on Monday that the Nigerian military on Sunday killed scores of Muslims celebrating the birthday of Prophet Muhammad (Maulid Nabiyy) in the state.
It was gathered that the Muslim worshippers were killed by an aerial bombardment.
The army had said the airstrikes were targeting terrorists.
But reacting to the incident in a video shared on social media, Yabo decried that most of the error bombings happened in the northern region without a single one occurring in the southern region.
He declared that northern Nigeria is bleeding from military bombing campaign, blaming the continued killings to lack of unity of the northern leaders which he attributed to personal interests.
According to Yabo in the interview transcribed by Daily Trust, “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,” he said.
While accusing the country's security of selective prosecution, Shaikh Yabo described the continuous detention of Kaduna-based publisher Tukur Mamu by the Nigerian government as complete injustice.
The scholar said Mamu’s offence was simply for negotiating between the terrorists and families of abducted Kaduna-Abuja train passengers last year.
Sheikh Yabo said “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.