From: Segun Babatunde in Bauchi
Arewa Youth for Peace and Security has described the killing of Barrister Ahmed Gulak, former Political Adviser to former President Goodluck and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as political.
National President of the group, Alhaji Salisu Magaji, who disclosed this to newmen in an interview in Bauchi Monday, cautioned Nigerians against giving Gulak’s murder ethnic colouration.
Magaji opined that northern elders and leaders had been going to the south east on daily basis without any problem and Igbos have also been going about their legitimate businesses in the north without any hitch.
While advising Nigerians not to allow the assassination of Gulak to be used to further cause division and disunity among Nigerians,he stressed that “the killing of Gulak is political, and should not be given any ethnic or tribal coloration”.
According to him, Gulak was a PDP man before he joined APC. He was the Chairman of APC governorship Primaries in Imo State in 2018. He complained that some people wanted to abduct him several times but never succeeded”.
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“Gulak alleged that he was given a bribe of two million dollars which he turned down. Nigerians are aware of these allegations because he complained publicly. APC lost the election and Hon Emeka Ihedioha won reelection as governor on the platform of PDP. Later on Hope Uzodinma was given the slot as governor for Imo State. Gulak went to Imo to see Uzodinma so this is not an issue of North versus South East”.
“Our Leaders, the likes of Professor Ango Abdullah used to go to the South east and come back safety. Gulak had never spoken for the north. He had never defended the north for whatsoever. He was just an APC man, a politician and his assassination is not Igbo versus North because our people go to the area and come back safely”.
He urged the police to investigate the killing with a view to unraveling the motive behind his death, even as he chided some groups in the north for insinuating that Gulak was killed by Igbos because he was a northerner.
“The police should investigate the killing thoroughly because Gulak had complained that they wanted to abduct him and even offered him bribe of two million dollars over the issues relating to the APC primary but he refused,” he said.
He assured that Igbos in the north are safe and nobody from the north would come attack them,saying that “what we need now is peace, unity and harmonious relationship in the country”.
“They are our brothers, they are Nigerians and the issues of Igbo versus north should not arise over Gulak. We want justice and we want peace in this country. We are living with Igbos successfully in this country and they are doing their businesses legally so the issue of attacking this and attacking that does not arise”, he said.