2023: Furore over alleged recruitment of 1000 militants and thugs by Ex-Chief of Air Staff

From David Kuvie Bauchi
There is a current war of words by the Bauchi State government and the All Progressives Congress, APC, over the story by Sahara Reporters that the APC governorship Candidate, Air Marshal Saddique Abubakar (retired), had recruited 1000 militants ahead of the election next year.

Reacting to the story, the Sadique Abubakar camp, denied the allegation.

The Chairman, Air Marshal Saddique Baba Abubakar Media & Publicity Committee, Salisu Ahmed Barau, while reacting in a statement on Monday, said the story was fabricated to mislead the average Bauchi voters.

The Saddique Abubakar camp claimed that voters in the state were increasingly showing interests in ensuring the success of the APC candidatue in the 2023 gubernatorial election.

Barau stressed that the electorate was finding the APC governorship candidate more appealing “owing to the colossal failure of the ruling party to provide the State with purposeful leadership and dividends of democracy in the past three years”

He described the story as a political mischief, wrapped in a news garment.

“It’s apparently a dirty political hatchet job that calls for immediate clarification from the Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar Media Office,” the statement read.

“To put the records straight, the publication in question, which publishers credited their sources to an unnamed Colonel of the Nigerian Army, said it is in possession of a ‘security signal’ on the said recruitment exercise, without further presenting facts, but only quoted some anonymous ‘politicians’ who obviously funded the publication.

“Honourable Shehu Aliyu Musa (Barden Gabas of Bauchi), who is member of the association attended the meeting that was organised to congratulate him on his emergence as the running mate to Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar with the leadership of the Bauchi State Amalgamated Associations of Butchers, Hunters, Cobblers, Blacksmiths, and Berbers after opening the Associations’ State Secretariat in Bauchi.

“Surprisingly, the newspaper in question only chose to replace the names of Butchers, Hunters, Cobblers, Blacksmiths, and Berbers with ‘Militants and Political Thugs’, mainly to give dog a bad name in order to justify its hanging.

“As law-abiding citizens, we did not hold the meeting in question until we officially sought for and obtained the approval of the Bauchi State Police Commissioner who was represented at the meeting by an Assistant Superintendent of Police.

“The mere mention of ‘Militants and Political Thugs’ in the publication gives away those behind the write up as some Bauchi politicians are already scared that since he secured the gubernatorial ticket of the APC, people from all parts of the State are shifting their support from various camps to the aspiration of Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar, the new entrants being members of Butchers, Hunters, Cobblers, Blacksmiths, and Berbers associations”

It said further that it was a fact that Saddique Abubakar was honoured in recognition of the outstanding military career by President Muhammadu Buhari who immediately appointed Sadique as Nigeria’s Ambassador to the Republic of Chad to check some of the most notorious sources of criminal insurgency that had ravaged the north east region in the past 10 years.

“It therefore baffles the reader that someone who spent the past forty years of his life defending his country, will now be accused of turning against it,” the statement added.

“Is it not surprising that of all the retinue of media houses and state correspondents that are in Bauchi State, only one online newspaper will report on matter with this magnified caption as the proceeding of a well-publicised meeting held on such a sensitive matter?

“While we encourage investigative reporting as an important ingredient of democracy, we urge all journalists to ensure that they discharge their obligations by feeding their audiences with facts and not to allow their platforms to be used for the advancement of someone’s political ambition.

“The people of Bauchi State are some of the most politically sophisticated people that cannot be fooled by this kind of dirty political undertaking in the name of journalism; they know the crooks who sleep in the same bed with ‘militants and political thugs’ in their political sojourns. It is their decimal performance in office that prompted the entry of the retired Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar into the gubernatorial race, and the voters are eager to give them their score carads on the election day. We remain steadfast and committed to our mission on winning the coming election and enthroning good governance.

“Therefore, no amount of cheap blackmail will distract us”

However, reacting to the online publication, the incumbent governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, called on the federal government to investigate the allegation levelled against the APC governorship candidate, saying it’s a worrisome security development.

The advice was contained in a press statement by
Mukhtar Gidado, the
Special Adviser on Media & Publicity to the Governor, made available to journalists on Tuesday.

Mohammed said the exclusive story by Sahara Reporters newspaper should be of grave concern to anybody with a keen interest in the development of the Bauchi State and Nigeria.

The governor noted that the online medium in a security signal it had assessed, quoted an unnamed colonel, while it alleged that “Sadique and the APC had recruited over 1000 foot soldiers with arms to destabilise parts of the state perceived as opponent’s stronghold”.

He explained that his concerned over the story was against the backdrop of the deteriorating security situation in the country, saying any responsible Government would be alarmed by the story.

“If true, portends a grave danger not only for Bauchi State but also the country at large,” Governor Mohammed pointed.

“We note, with concern, that the sudden escalation in violent crimes characterized by kidnappings, banditry and other vices, in certain parts of the state, seem to fall in place with the allegations contained in the Sahara Reporters story,” he argued.

“During this period, the following places have witnessed increased security threats and actual breaches: Sabon Gari, Garin Sambo, Digare, Mansur and Shafan Duguri in Alkaleri Local Government. Boto and Tudun Wadan Malima in Tafawa Balewa Local Government. Sabon Garin Na Rabi and Gumau in Toro Local Government, Bura in Ningi Local Government”

He explained that for the past few months, Bauchi government had been stretched to the limits as it battled what, “to all intents and purposes, was a well-orchestrated chain of crime and criminality, designed to distract it from its developmental goals”

“Other wicked machinations would be to switch resources to security and antagonize the people against the Government,” he said.

“We shudder to imagine that any responsible and patriotic individual or organisation would, willy-nilly, promote violence against its people, more so when, as alleged by Sahara Reporters, the entities involved actually aspire to lead the state. It raises the question: Do they aspire to rule over the dead?

“Though we have heard allegations of violence and insecurity instigated by people in authority, we cannot imagine anyone shooting his way to power, in a democracy.

“Perhaps that is the crux of the matter: some people are yet to come to terms with the democratic ethos that are being installed in the country. In particular, such power-hungry persons cannot understand the sustained and painstaking effort at democratization And people-empowerment that have endeared the Bala Mohammed Administration to the vast majority of the Bauchi people.

“They are shocked that, despite orchestrated campaigns of calumny, Bala Mohammed’s popularity continues to soar as demonstrated by the desertions from other parties to the PDP, with the APC suffering the most biting exodus.

“Despite the eye-opening Sahara Reporters story, the Bala Mohammed Administration wishes to assure the good people of Bauchi State that it will remain focused on delivering the dividends of democracy that, for several years before 2019, had eluded the peace-loving people of the state. Let it also be known that the Administration will not surrender its constitutionally provided responsibility in the area of security, to any individual or group, no matter how privileged or powerful.

To this end, while we advise the law-abiding citizens of the state to go about their legitimate duties, we call on the security agencies and our dear President to cause a thorough investigation of the ominous allegations by Sahara Reporters against the APC and its gubernatorial candidate in Bauchi State, Air Marshal Abubakar Sadique (Retd). It should not be overstated that, the plan to foist an extra-constitutional and quasi-military organ on the state, for the purpose of electoral advantage, can only lead to a total breakdown of law and order, with dire and unfathomable consequences for our dear country in general and Bauchi State, in particular”