‘You need to be checked’, CDS Irabor fires Gumi over claim of military’s collusion with bandits

THE Chief of Defense Staff (CDS), Gen. Lucky Irabor has dismissed claims credited to Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, on the military’s collusion with bandits in the North-West.

Irabor, who addressed retired senior military officers in the South-West zone at a workshop held at 2 Division, Nigerian Army, Ibadan, Oyo State, yesterday, said Gumi needs to have himself checked for making such an allegation.

He said it is absurd and unacceptable for anyone to think that the military and other security agencies are working with bandits.

His words, “It is preposterous to think that the military and other security agencies are conniving with bandits. Do you connive with someone to take your life?

“That of course, is a question that should dismiss that kind of hallucination any day. All you need to know is that on a daily basis, because of the technological tools available to everyone of us, it is not impossible that the criminally-minded individuals may take advantage of these tools.

“And that is the reason on a daily basis, we are reassessing our personal engagements to ensure that our engagements are intelligence-driven. We equally know that these bad elements who live amongst us need to be exposed.

“And that is why we believe this kind of interaction is necessary. So, anyone who is hallucinating with the idea that the military or other security agencies are conniving with bandits, I think the person needs to have himself checked.”