Don urges Danjuma to retract statement on arms against authorities

A lecturer at the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Malam Bashir Yankuzu, on Tuesday advised Gen. Theophilus Danjuma, being an elder statesman, to retract a statement credited to him as calling on Nigerians to take up arms in self defence.

Yankuzu told our correspondent in Minna that there were no circumstances necessitating the masses to take up arms against the state.

Danjuma, a former Minister of Defence, on March 24, at the first convocation of the Taraba State University, was reported to have called on Nigerians to rise and defend themselves against ethnic cleansing.

The lecturer explained that the comment clearly showed that Danjuma was a biased elder who could never be trusted by those outside his ethnic or religious enclave.

“I advise him to embrace all, including those he sees as not fit to be where Allah has risen them to.

“Our expectation is that those who became extremely rich and benefited from the country should invest by removing poverty and fear in the land,’’ he said.

Yankuzu, of Department of Educational Service, said that if the armed forces, comprising officers from different ethnic and religious groups, were colluding with criminal elements, then there was a big problem in the land.

“Gen. Danjuma need to tell the world, who these officers are, or better allow peace to reign.

“Another disturbing thing related to his (Danjuma) speech is the choice of the venue and event.

“The university community is a place where youths from different religious and ethnic background are found.

“And the convocation is obviously seen as an avenue of preparing young graduates for entrance into larger society.

“The retired general’s choice of this occasion and venue is certainly a dangerous step towards poisoning the mind of the young graduates.

“I strongly advise Gen Danjuma to consider his status as an elder statesman and withdraw that speech because any future bloodshed can easily be attributed to it.”