By Samuel Aruwan
Kaduna
Former military president, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, at the weekend said Boko Haram ideology was not Islamic and not in any way representing Muslims.
He charged Muslim clerics and faithful to stand up and propagate correct teachings of Islam, which he said did not preach compulsion to religion, but “preaches peace and understanding.”
Speaking to BBC Hausa on Saturday morning on the foreign military assistance being extended to Nigeria towards recovering female students of Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno state that were abducted by Boko Haram, Babangida said there were certain conditions before a country could seek military assistance, and that Nigerians must keep religion and politics aside and work assiduously for the return of the abducted students.
Babangida said: “First, I want to extend solidarity to the parents and relations of these our children that were abducted. This incident affected Nigeria as a whole irrespective of religion, once you are a Nigerian. You are definitely affected. This thing that happened to these girls really affected all of us. And so I am pained and affected too.”
“This thing will just be used in tarnishing our names and so there is need for Muslims to stand up and condemn this act and give help in several ways, i.e. prayers and offering of advice. All misrepresentation of Islam, we must make sure we correct it and succeed over it.”
On the alleged laxity on the side of government and the military, Babangida said: “It is not something that we should be trading blames. What we should do is simple; all of us as Nigerians must work hard and ensure that the girls are found and return because that is what happened. And if we get they are Nigerians and all of us must work for their safety. It is not being Muslims or Christians or even pagan, it is about them. They are our human beings, our children and Nigerians. This is what matters and we should welcome help.”