Chief Gbemudu’s tremendous sacrifice for Nigeria in fight against Boko Haram

The Coalition of Civil Society Groups is a Nigerian based, nonprofit driven pressure groups that has for nearly a decade championed the cause of justice, social integration and national unity through stakeholder engagement with government agencies, the private sector, the media, traditional and faith-based institutions as well as the academia on issues of national interest, […]

The Coalition of Civil Society Groups is a Nigerian based, nonprofit driven pressure groups that has for nearly a decade championed the cause of justice, social integration and national unity through stakeholder engagement with government agencies, the private sector, the media, traditional and faith-based institutions as well as the academia on issues of national interest, particularly as they affect the Nigerian citizenry.

For years, the life of the President and Chief Executive Officer of Global Real Estate Investors and Financial Services, Chief  Anslem Gbemudu, has been an entanglement of risks and high level threats targeted at exterminating his existence and decimating his business engagements by the dreaded Boko Haram sect of Nigeria owing to their tenacious belief that he masterminded the arrest and eventual killing of their top rank leader and spiritual director, Mohammed Yusuf, who died 2009.

• ‘Retirement of 365 soldiers has nothing to do with Boko Haram‘
• Military foils Boko Haram’s attack on Maiduguri

A USA Army Veteran and Nigerian citizen of one of the most respected royal families from South Eastern Nigeria, particularly Delta State, Chief Anslem Gbemudu, having domiciled and gathered sufficient knowledge on the management of top profile security confrontations in the United States, saw reason to, in the wake of the security concerns in Nigeria, come back home and deploy his intellectual and professional acumen to dissuading the minds of younger Nigerians, particularly in the higher institutions of learning in Northern Nigeria, who were hypnotized with distorted Qur’anic teachings by Mohammed Yusuf, his cohorts and hirelings.

To check the negative and rapidly growing evil agenda and influence Mohammed Yusuf was exerting using religion to convert sincere Muslims into terrorists, Chief Anslem Gbemudu in 2008 and 2009 embarked on a mission to neutralize the ideas of Islamic extremism and warfare that was being inculcated at that time.

He recorded monumental success in disarming the grip of inordinate religious teachings on young and innocent Muslims who later refuted Mohammed Yusuf and his representations.

With Mohammed’s death in 2009 following an unsuccessful attempt to evade police custody, members of his sect drew illogical conclusions that Chief Anslem Gbemudu could not be extricated of blameworthiness to the ill fate of their acclaimed spiritual leader.

They have since then masterminded several attempts to eliminate his life, execute his family and destroy all his engagements within the shores of Nigeria and have placed surveillance to inform them of his stepping into Nigeria for his most eminent assassination.

The California-based business man and United States Defense Logistics contractor survived death by the whiskers in 2009 when he escaped back to his base in the USA.

Having given the above historical trace to shed light into the unjustifiable circumstances that have made imminent, the sought death of this illustrious son of Nigeria’s origin by the Boko Haram, it is sacrosanct to inform the government and people of Nigeria as well as the international community in unequivocal terms, the position of the Civil Society Groups that, this inordinate plot that has lingered unhindered for many years is unreasonable, unfounded, unjustifiable, vexatious, malignant and a malicious affront to the inalienable rights of Chief Premium Anslem Gbemudu and the development of the nation and is deserving of condemnation by all.

We state categorically that Chief Gbemudu is a veteran and pathfinder whose commitment and traces of positive impact to redefining the chequered history of Nigeria’s political, ethnic and religious struggles ought to be given a nod and celebrated.

His intellectual savvy and administrative ingenuity is ostensibly engraved on the consciences of those he rescued from religious hypnotism.

Chief Anslem Gbemudu is one of the few Nigerians whose national and international concern for the cause of the minority ethnicities of Nigeria has remained undeterred and dogged.

His relished for fairness, equity, unity, peace, progress and social justice has endured a three decade test of veracity examined by threats and attempted assassination.

In the interest of the Nigerian State and its peoples, we state without circumlocutions that we hold him dear to our hearts and in the highest esteem.

An affront to him, is an affront to the civil liberties of the innocent citizens of Nigeria.

The Nigeria Civil Society Groups wishes to, in her role as watchdog of the society, inform teeming Nigerians and the international community that, Chief  Anslem Gbemudu truly and firmly represents the ideal model of a true Nigerian armed with the deep historical knowledge, the requisite experience and the introspective capability to advance the cause of the welfare and aspirations of the people.

He deserves as we have long accorded him, utmost commendation and national protection.

We, therefore, pledge our unalloyed loyalty to him and the commendable leadership strides he has taken in the interest of all.

We draw strength from the juristic permutations of Justice Chukwudifu Oputa of revered and blessed memory who posited that, “if we must accept the intrinsic worth of any man, then justice remains the minimum debt we owe to him; for if we deny him justice, we have inexorably declared him worthless”.

High Chief Premium Anslem Gbemudu, in his statesmanly disposition, has contributed and is contributing fairly to the development of the Nation and should be applauded rather than insulted and sought to be persecuted.

Our profound fear is the inability of the government of Nigeria to protect and avert harm from coming his way as the government continues to fail to contain Boko Haram.

David Yusuf, Convener of Initiative For Social Progress International, writes from Abuja