By Ibrahim Abdul’Aziz, Regional Correspondent
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Disturbed by the ever-increasing banditry plaguing the society, Kaduna-based Islamic scholar Dr. Ahmad Gumi has commenced a special da’awah programme to Fulani settlements and villages with the aim of teaching them about the religion of Islam and counselling them against criminalities.
The scholar started with Fulani settlements (ruga) and villages in Jere, a town on the Kaduna-Abuja highway.
The town is also situated in Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
He was accompanied by the Chief Imam of Sultan Bello Mosque Kaduna Sheikh Muhammad Sulaiman Adam, representatives of Ulamas and students committees, and security personnel.
Dr. Ahmad Gumi regrets that stark illiteracy” is ravaging the Fulani and pushing them into bad things,” adding that the only panacea to the problem aggressive campaign to seek religion and western knowledge.
He pointed out that the first verse of the Qur’an that was revealed to Prophet Muhammad S. A. W was iqra (read) signifying the importance of seeking knowledge.
Sheikh Gumi promised that with the little resources that the Sheikh Abubakar Gumi Initiative for the Propagation of Sunnah has, it would build schools for Islamic knowledge and also select some Fulani among them who will undergo series of lectures and training with which they will return and educate their people in their respective communities.
The herders will also be trained in various businesses and skills to diversify.
“Similarly, a committee will be set up where the Fulani will be lodging complaints of any injustice against them by the government for follow up and/or seeking redress,” said he.
But in their separate remarks, some Fulani leaders lamented that they were being unnecessarily profiled even though every tribe has its bad eggs.
They also said the Fulani have suffered various forms of molestation and abuse couple with total neglect by government.
” We are being molested and sometimes killing of our members by some criminal elements among government security personnel.
” This could lead many to other heinous acts, so we are ready to help to sensitise our people, ” adds Ardo Ka’oje one of Fulani leaders.
Another leader admitted that their major challenge was illiteracy as they have been left unattended without education, security, and basic amenities.
He also complained that as a result of the molestation and extortion by alleged security personnel, ” Our socio-economic status has not only been diminished but also crippled resulting in some of these boys being used as agents of kidnappers and bandits.”
Commendation trails
Already people are now commending the Islamic scholar for his initiative, urging others to emulate him.
De Sulaiman A. Daji said “This is what all our scholars should do, enter the bush and preach to the Fulani communities. May Almighty Allah guide all those who contributed to this.”
Also commenting, Nurruddeen Kama a Yola based commentator stated that, “Sheikh Dr. Ahmed Gumi has done the needful by Launching Daawah into the forest, this is the calling and what religious clerics should be doing.
“Apart from spiritual cleansing, taking Daawah to the doorsteps of Fulani herdsmen in their respective RUGA could have solved so many problems including rustling and banditry because most of them don’t know what Islam is all about despite the fact that Islam and Fula has a long history and heritage.
“It is on records that most of the criminals arrested in the Northwest on charges of banditry, kidnapping, and rustling had neither formal nor informal education due to total neglects by the ruling class who often use them as herders or gatemen,” Kama noted.
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