By Charles Igbo
Anger is rising in Northern Nigeria over the murder of Ahmed Gulak in the morning of Sunday, May 30, 2021, in Imo State.
Gulak, an APC Chieftain, and former Political Adviser to Former President Goodluck Jonathan, was murdered at about 7.20am on his way to the Imo Airport to take a flight to Abuja.
According to the Police, he took a Cab, and was in the company of two others, when gunmen, riding in a Sienna car, double-crossed the Cab, and shot Gulak, fatally, after identifying him. He had no security details with him.
But the Northern Youths are boiling in anger over his murder. They are crying revenge.
Hours after Gulak’s murder was confirmed by the Imo State Police Command, the Northern Youths Council of Nigeria, NYCN, threaten a revenge by Northern youths. The group has, therefore, issued a two-week ultimatum to the Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma, to produce Gulak’s murderers and bring them to justice.
The NYCN,also, threatened to declare Governor Uzodinma a persona non grata in the entire Northern soil if Gulak’s murder is not cracked, and the perpetrators brought to book, according to the laws of the land.
A statement by its National President, Isah Abubakar, reads in part: “It’s so pathetic and saddened the continuous killing and lawlessness going on in the South Eastern part of Nigeria.
“The Government of Imo State must give an account of those who killed Gulak. The continuous killing of Northern and destruction of security facilities in Imo State will no longer be tolerated.”
The group, also, asked the Federal Government to rise up to its constitutional responsibility and protect the lives and property of Nigerians, and not allow the current situation to escalate to a civil war.
It added that the Government should take note that it would not allow the killer(s) of Gulak to go unpunished.
The NYCN asked Governor Uzodinma, who is the Chief Security Officer of the State, to, quickly, bring those involved in the murder to justice.
“Let us state categorically that Northern youths will do everything within their powers to force the Government of Imo State to bring the perpetrators of this crime to justice. The Imo State Governor and other South East Governors should take note that we shall not accept the continued killing of Northerners and Northern elites in their region as we shall take revenge henceforth.”
However, many see the threat to declare Uzodinma a persona non grata in the North as unfair.
He and Gulak were not only in the same political party – from PDP to APC – without the role Gulak played, perhaps, Uzodinma couldn’t have been Governor today.
It was Gulak who withstood every pressure, criticism and curses, and declared Uzodinma the winner of the APC Governorship primary against Governor Rochas Okorocha’s son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, in what was seen in some circles as controversial circumstances.
Since then, the two APC chieftains have been close friends.
A reliable source at the Government House, Owerri, say the Governor broke down on hearing the news of Gulak’s murder, exclaiming repeatedly: “I have lost a friend, a brother, a good party man, and a dogged fighter.”
The Special Tactical team of the Police has started an investigation into Gulak’s murder
