Bauchi State Governor, Mallam Isa Yuguda, has been criticised over unsavoury remarks credited to him regarding the death of nine National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members who were victims of post-election violence.
They were killed by youth who had unleashed terror on the state while protesting the results of the April 16 presidential poll won by the Peoples Democratic Party, [PDP] candidate, Dr Goodluck Jonathan.
But speaking with journalists at the weekend in Abuja, Yuguda denied reports that he was indifferent to the murder of the corps members. The Bauchi Governor declared that the culprits are already in court and would face the full wrath of the law court.
Excerpts:
Your Excellency, what actually happened after the presidential election and why do you find it difficult to apologise, over a statement credited to you?
Well, like I said what is that comment that led to one of the newspapers to write that I spat on the grave of youth corps members ?
That was the most wicked statement I have ever heard in my life.
Of course, people asked me about my reaction to the death of corps members, what did he expect me to say?
I said it was their time, did I bring them to life? God brought them to life. I said they were destined to die. Those that weren’t destined to die, live and I tried my best as a governor, because I was the only governor who assembled my corps members . I assembled them in one place , I fed them , I gave them money to buy clothes, ask them, any one of them.
Their evacuation was the only first thing that I did and I personally feel that they should have been exposed to the vagaries of the Nigeria politics, because we have so many animals around us who were used to macheting people and these youth were serving the nation. I feel very strongly that they shouldn’t have been part of that serious process that will expose their lives to danger. By the time I handed over the corpers to the INEC, they weren’t under my protection even though I was the governor.
INEC should have given them sufficient protection, but like I have said, what would I do? Did I ask God when I was coming to earth? I didn’t ask the Almighty God and when I am going, like I said I am not sure, if I would reach evening. I don’t know when I am going to die, but if somebody is destined to die, he is going to die.
What are you going to do about it?
The only thing is that the law must take its course. We have arrested over 600 people, some of them actually did the killings and we are going to prosecute them. If the law would allow me, after their being found guilty, if the law would allow me, to shoot them ,I will take the gun and shoot them myself. So, what is the correlation between what I said and the report that I spat on the grave of the dead youth corps. These boys that had toiled for 20 years with their parents paying school fees and fending for them; they had come to serve me and they were happy serving me. Anytime I go to them ,they mill around me and I had offered to give them jobs immediately after they finish.
Each and everyone of them is willing to take job in Bauchi, because by the provision of the constitution, I told them any one of you after seven years, becomes the citizen of Bauchi, because that’s what the constitution says—- you become an indigene of an environment after seven years and I will give you permanent employment, right from day one.
So, all these scandalous reports about me, coming from those who didn’t know my antecedents; they portrayed me as an animal, as somebody who is heartless. I believe the person who wrote that report about me would have been compromised to run me down as an individual.
Did you speak out, in the light of your own faith?
Exactly, as a Moslem, that’s what Islam says. For any Moslem, there is time to come to the world and there is time to go. How can I spat on their grave. I wept, even when the director of NYSC came and when I was making my speech, I had to break my speech, because I remember the day when those souls would meet me in my grave and would ask me ,’’why did you allow people to slaughter me in your own land when you were leader.’’
What’s your message to the parents of the Bauchi 9 and the entire nation?
You see, I had offered condolences to the parents. In fact, I am even supposed to be condoled. I sympathize with the parents and I sympathize with myself; I sympathize with the parents, because they lost their children whom they have spent close to 20 years to train: looking up to them to finish and help them, when they eventually reach age of infirmity and I sympathize with myself, because if those who were killed, now that I am governor; tomorrow when I enter my grave God will ask me about those 9 on national service who were killed! I stand accountable for those 9 and Allah will ask me. What am I going to tell Almighty Allah.
So, I am also awaiting punishment for their death. That’s why I wept in the night, remembering the day I would be in my grave and Allah would ask me about those 9 that were killed.
One of them was even caught performing ablution, he was going to pray! He was telling them , ‘’please, leave me alone to perform ablution’’.
These animals, they machete him!! They are animals and we have them everywhere in the country. You asked the question ,’’why did this happen to youth corps? In the first instance, who won the presidential election in Bauchi? If you came out to vote for PDP that day, they cut off your hands, you dare not vote for PDP, because they are hoodlums. In fact that day they burnt down the INEC office, they burnt down our vehicles, mosques and churches, the house of my SSG was burnt to ashes , his father’s house was burnt down with the mosque.
So, it is a sad thing in the history of our country, that youth on national service would be molested. We all know that they are vulnerable, anytime there is crisis in the country, if you aren’t from that part of the country, you become a victim, whether you are a
Nigerian on youth service, or not as long as you don’t speak the language they speak. These ignorant animals … they are animals, they are beast, they aren’t human beings. That human feeling has been removed from them; anyone who can take a machete and take human life isn’t a human being.
So, I console the parents of those who lost their lives, I console all those who lost their lives in other states of the federation, because I know that it isn’t only in Bauchi state but in several other states, but Bauchi was given a lot of prominence. But like I have said, there is time to come to the world and there is time to leave but it is painful. My own son who was equally on national service was attacked. He was coming down to town to vote , but they drove him inside the Police barracks, close to Bauchi and that was how he was rescued.
They attempted to burn my house, but because I am somebody who is popular in his environment, they were prevented . Everybody knows the paramilitary arm of the political party that has done that but nobody is talking about it. But we have made arrest, over 500 and I assure you, we will get the main culprits and the law will take its course.
By the grace of Almighty Allah, those promising young boys and girls had served the nation, the way it ended that’s the way God had destined it . But they have done their best for the nation, but I will appeal to the nation to honour them.
I will like you to take a holistic nation at political violence in the country, but it is most accentuated in the north. You are one of the governors from the North and people often ascribe this thing to the level of poverty. What should we expect from leaders like you to address political violence by taking these boys off the streets?
Let me tell you, we have so many evil human beings among the politicians. We have also merchants of death among the politicians, people who don’t care to have blood full in their hands when it is about government house. Those paramilitary arm they train them and arm them to the teeth, so that they intimidate and harass their opponents.
In fact, I had taken it for granted that after eliminating a deadly group in Bauchi which I inherited, I never expected any kind of violence in Bauchi state during elections, because in the complete absence of the former deadly group, who else? But I didn’t know that the opposition party had already recruited so many and had brought them in—- some of them are even from the neighbouring country, with arms and ammunitions, they were all over the polling booths and they were forcing women. If you say you wouldn’t vote CPC, they were ready to deal with you.
So, I think the solution is simple. People must learn to respect law and order and anybody who is caught, there mustn’t be ‘I beg you’ from any community; there is no son of a big man or son of a small man. if you are guilty, you are guilty. If you kill, you are guilty; if you maim, you are guilty. If you attempt murder, you are guilty. Nobody should come and follow you to the police station to plead for bail, once you are charged for attempted murder.
In the case of Bauchi, a law is in the offing on regulation of religious preaching, because the preachers, both Christians and Moslems aren’t helping matters. There is no point for somebody to go into a church or mosque to say, go and vote for a certain political party. An Imam is supposed to issue sermon and guide people on what God says should be; the same thing for a pastor who is supposed to mount the pulpit. He isn’t supposed to say, ‘’ I have taken a position and this is the party I am going to vote for.’’
Go to the book of faith, where God says vote for who is just and equitable. It is their in the Quran and it is also there in the bible.
So, you should vote for he who is just; that’s what the Quran says. So there is no question why somebody should be allowed to pick a microphone in a mosque and say, ‘this one is a Christian, don’t vote for him and a pastor would say,’’this one is a Moslem, don’t vote for him.’’
Nigerians should understand that God is God and He inherits this place for us. If he had wanted to make it like China with 1.6 million he would have done so—give us one language, but He never did. In Nigeria today we have about 450 languages in Nigeria and each tribe has its own language and has its own culture and we must co-habit together.
With the Quran and the Bible, we swore to uphold the constitution of the federal republic that binds us together. Why don’t we respect that? So, to the extent that people aren’t prepared to respect the law , I am afraid the system isn’t going to work. So, what are you going to do with the suspects?
Anybody who is caught killing must be killed.
When are you going to arrange them?
They are already before the court.
Your Excellency, there was a relapse of security in Bauchi last Friday. As the chief security officer, what really is your major handicap?
You see the problem of that area is purely a commoners’ problem and it isn’t only in Bauchi, what happened in Kaduna, how many of you have written about Kaduna? Nobody. Everyday there is clash in some other states, why is Bauchi flashpoint? Why do you want to destroy Bauchi? We aren’t the only people who has this kind of problem, they are everywhere in the country, but nobody talk about them.
But the problem of Bauchi is the problem of chiefdom and I am prepared to curtail it, I have given my words. Peace can never come unless the communities are prepared to live in peace. Just like the Ogoni and Andoni, the Tiv and the Jukuns, the Ife –Modakeke —- they have to appreciate the fact that they must co-exist and you aren’t helping matters by planting these things in the papers. Tell them to live in peace because all lands belong to God. And there is enough for everybody; what is really causing the problem is the chiefdom.
Would you say the security agencies were pro-active to see the violence coming and moved to forestall it ?
You are a human being, no matter how deep you are in security matters, nobody envisage what happened, after all, everybody left the ballot papers for them and Buhari won the election. If their candidate won the election, then why should you fight? Why should you carry knives and slaughter people, burnt churches and mosques? No security magician would tell you that they would burn mosques and churches after winning elections, why?
I won elections in 2007 against the PDP, left PDP in January and after I won in April, what happened? Not a single fly was killed. All the PDP people ran away from Bauchi. If Jonathan had won against Buhari then we would have been targets, because there is a lot of sentiments attached to Buhari , but the CPC won, with an overwhelming majority in almost all the northern states, where violence occurred. So , how could you have envisaged violence?
Believe me, I haven’t seen the kind of efficient security men, as the one I have in Bauchi. They foresee everything as if they are magicians.
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