PLATEAU MASSACRE: BUHARI’S FORMER AIDE SAYS MUSLIMS WERE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ATTACK

Former presidential advisor Bashir Ahmad has maintained that the perpetrators of the attacks in Plateau states that claimed numerous lives were not Muslims and that their behavior did not reflect Islamic teachings.

Ahmad made this claim in a statement made public on his official X account, saying that the religion forbids all forms of destruction and does not teach harm toward other people.

Ahmad, a former assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari, stated that Islam strongly and universally denounces the horrors carried out in Jos.

He wrote, “Islam is a religion of peace and compassion. It does not teach harm toward others, nor does it condone the destruction of any kind. The recent unfortunate events in Jos, which have led to a surge in unfortunate trends on this platform where Islam and Muslims are being targeted and attacked, are not representative of Islamic teachings. The atrocities committed in Jos are widely and totally condemned in Islam, and they are certainly not encouraged by Islamic teachings.

“It is a fact that there was nowhere even the perpetrators themselves linked what they committed to Islam or its teachings. Yet, many individuals on this platform have hastily associated these actions with the entire Islam, a religion followed by nearly two billion people around the world. This is unjust and also deepens the divide and misunderstanding among us.

“We all know that to overcome such decades-long conflicts in Jos and elsewhere, we must set our emotions aside, confront reality, and address the root causes fairly and justly. Generalizing and attacking a whole religion only serves to aggravate the tensions and will never be the solution. Again, Islam teaches us to coexist peacefully and to treat one another with respect and kindness.”