Sheikh Goni’s murder: Justice must be seen to be done

The nation was on Friday, August 19, thrown into shock and grief, following the killing of a prominent Islamic scholar, Sheikh Goni Aisami. What made the circumstances of his death most painful is the fact that he was killed while being a Good Samaritan by people who were employed to protect him and other Nigerians. […]

The nation was on Friday, August 19, thrown into shock and grief, following the killing of a prominent Islamic scholar, Sheikh Goni Aisami. What made the circumstances of his death most painful is the fact that he was killed while being a Good Samaritan by people who were employed to protect him and other Nigerians.

According to accounts, Sheikh Goni was driving late in the evening from Kano to his hometown, Gashua, when he was flagged down by one of the suspects, Lance Corporal John Gabriel, who asked for a lift.  While travelling, the suspect tricked the cleric into stopping by telling him that he heard a strange sound from the rear of the car. As the sheikh reportedly bent down to check what was wrong, Gabriel came down, brought out a gun and shot him. However, luck ran out on him while he was trying to drive away the car as it got stuck and he called his accomplice, Lance Corporal Adamu Gideon, to help him out. It was while they were trying to tow the vehicle away that they were seen by members of the vigilante group who raised the alarm after discovering the corpse of the late sheikh.

Both soldiers were serving with the 241 Recce Battalion in Nguru, Yobe State.

Reactions to the killing of the sheikh came from far and wide. In his condolence message to the family of the deceased, President Muhammadu Buhari, condemned “the unprovoked murder’’ saying that such action was out of line with military ethos. “As the Commander-in-Chief, I am personally outraged by this wicked and criminal act by a law enforcement official trained to protect life.’’ The president, therefore, directed the Nigerian Army to flush out all criminals under it.

Similar condemnations were made by the Sultan of Sokoto, Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar III and the Yobe State Governor, Mala Buni.

We join all well-meaning Nigerians in condemning this dastardly act and condole with his family over the loss.  Indeed, by their selfish action the suspects have not only robbed the family of the late sheikh their bread winner, but also millions of his followers of a guardian, who will be difficult to replace.

We also welcome the stance and quick reaction by several national institutions on the issue, which demonstrates the ability of the nation to rise against bad behaviour no matter where it happens or who is involved. It is encouraging, for example, to see how both the police and military swung into action to unravel the case. The Nigeria Police, within a few days after the crime was committed, arrested and handed over to the military, the two suspects. The Nigerian Army, on its part did not waste time in trying and dismissing the two suspects after which they handed them back to the police to face trial according to the laws of the land. This is indeed commendable as it showed the readiness of the two organisations to act against any breach by their personnel.

We, however, implore both the police and the Yobe State government to ensure speedy trial of the suspects and ensure that justice is done. This is the only way to bring relief to the family and followers of the late cleric. It will further demonstrate the readiness of those saddled with the duty of ensuring justice to every citizen to discharge their duties without fear or favour.

The circumstances leading to the death of Sheikh Goni may be a setback to the efforts towards enhancing civil/military relation. Indeed, all too often, members of the public in the North East have had to suffer severe human rights violations through mistaken air raids, rank profiling and now outright murder by security officials deployed there to fight insurgents, protect the people and keep the peace. The action of the former soldiers adds an unfortunate dimension to this worrying trend and must not be allowed to die off as is usual with issues of human rights violations in Nigeria. For Sheikh Goni, justice must not only be done, it must be seen to be done, and with dispatch too.

We, therefore, task all law enforcement agencies to raise the level of screening and monitoring of their personnel in order to fish out the bad eggs among them before they inflict more damage to the nation’s security. They should ensure such abuse of trust and confidence does not happen again.

Daily Trust hopes that members of the public in the North East and elsewhere will view the action of these two former soldiers as an act of a few bad eggs found in every organisation and will continue to assist law enforcement agents in the onerous task of securing our nation.

It is only through collective efforts that peace will return to our communities and guarantee development.