Top members of Boko Haram have acquired wives of Emirs who fled their
palaces in the wake of the insurgents’ renewed onslaught on some communities in
Borno and Yobe states.
No fewer than seven Emirs are said to have abandoned their Boko
Haram-infested domains in the two states in the last couple of days.
A key member of the civilian JTF, Ahamdu Umar, who disclosed this in
Maiduguri, described the action of the insurgents as a violation of the
sanctity of state, tradition and religion.
“They have sacked over seven Emirs from their palaces in Borno and Yobe
states. Emirs are a symbol of culture and heads of Islam in this part of the
country. If the Boko Haram members were truly Muslims, they would have had
reverence for the palaces, they would have had respect for the Emirs and they
would not have taken the wives of Emirs for their commanders (to use). This is
sacrilege,” Umar said.
He said reports from some local governments areas showed that after
taking over their palaces, the Boko Haram commanders, who then constituted
themselves as lords in the affected Emirs’ domains, mocked the traditional institution
by forcing their wives into “marriages.”
This development, Umar reasoned, showed that Boko Haram was not only
against democracy, but it was also against tradition and Islam as a religion.
According to him, Nigerians must understand that this is not a religious
problem but a case of some “cultists” trying to use Islam as a platform to
perpetrate evil.
“Those who are sympathetic to this group among Muslims are doing so
either because they do not know the atrocities these bad elements are
committing or they are part of those that have been brainwashed by the sect
leader when he was alive and therefore, they are also Boko Haram,” he added.
Umar declined to mention the palaces or Emirs involved, claiming that it
would also amount to mockery on his part to do just that
“We wanted to go and die for our people and for the traditional stools
in those areas captured by Boko Haram, but we were prevented from doing so by
security operatives who said the casualties would be too many.”
It was also gathered that wives and children of soldiers are being
relocated from barracks across Maiduguri so that the soldiers could focus on
the ongoing preparation to engage the militants in renewed efforts by the
military to end insurgency in Borno State and the North-East in general.
Tags
Society