Centre for Information Technology and Development, CITAD, has condemned the comment made by former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, linking President Muhammadu Buhari with Boko Haram, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, ISIS, Al-qaeda and Al-shabbab.
DAILY NIGERIAN reports that, in the build-up to the February 16 presidential election, Mr Buhari has introduced a four-finger sign to support his re-election bid.
However, on January, Mr Fani-Kayode posted on his Facebook wall, linking the four-finger symbol with a support to the terrorist groups.
In the post, Mr Fani-Kayode said: “The four finger Muslim Brotherhood terrorist Rabia sign that Buhari keeps using is an affront to the Living God and an insult to the millions that have been killed by the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, ISIS, Boko Haram,Al Qaeda and Al Shabab over the decades. God will judge him for it!,â€
But, in a press conference on ‘Hate, Dangerous Speech and Fake News in the Ongoing Campaign for the 2019 General Elections’, CITAD described the comment as dangerous and condemnable.
The Coordinator, Curbing Hate and Dangerous Speech Project of CITAD, Hamza Ibrahim, urged Mr Fani-Kayode to urgently withdraw and delete the comments.
The coordinator also cautioned Mr Fani-Kayode to desist from making such insensitive utterances in future, in order to avoid overheating the polity, just as the general elections are fast approaching.
Mr Ibrahim lamented the prevalence of hate speeches by politicians in the state and beyond in the build-up to the general elections.
“While we strongly condemn the hate and dangerous speeches from especially members and followers of APC and PDP, we want the two parties to caution their supporters against engaging in the act as well as other act capable scuttling the peaceful conduct of the elections.
“We want to categorically call on the chairmen of the two major political parties, Uche Secondus of PDP and Adams Oshiomole of APC to be courageous and urge all their followers and members to, in the interest of peace, stay away from hateful and dangerous utterances during the campaign period and after.
“We pass the same message to all governors to join their commissioners, other political appointees and numerous political followers to avoid hate and dangerous speeches,†he said.
He also condemned other inflammatory comments made by Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chairman, Rogo Local Government area of Kano State, and the state Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Mr Ibrahim also called the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, to be vigilant on their monitoring over hateful and unwanted contents and take necessary actions on radio and television stations that allow such acts.
