The president said the criminal act negates the ethos of the military, which is anchored on discipline and respect for the sanctity of innocent lives.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday condemned the murder of Yobe State-based Islamic cleric, Goni Aisami.
The police said a soldier, John Gabriel, whom the cleric offered a lift, has confessed to the murder to steal his car.
Mr Gabrial and an accomplice, Adamu Gideon, are being investigated for armed robbery and homicide.
In a statement by his media aide, Garba Shehu, Mr Buhari said such a criminal act is unbecoming of a soldier and negates the ethos of the military. He, thus, asked the military leadership to flush out bad soldiers within its rank.
“This barbaric murder of a compassionate man by a soldier he had assisted has no place in our training as soldiers, and it negates the entire ethos of military life which is anchored on discipline and respect for the sanctity of innocent lives.”
“As the Commander-in-Chief, I am personally outraged by this criminal and wicked act by a law enforcement official trained to protect life.
“By our training, we are guided by a code of conduct that frowns on this kind of reckless and criminal act. It is not in our character and training to put innocent citizens in harm’s way. Of course, the action of this soldier is an isolated incident involving an individual, but it is capable of staining the collective image of our military.”
“This incident is capable of making our fellow citizens fearful of assisting soldiers, thereby destroying the bond of trust between our military and the civilians.
“I call on the military authorities to punish the perpetrators of this heinous crime without delay, and flush out other elements with such criminal tendencies,” Mr Buhari added.
The president commiserated with the Yobe State Government, the people of the State and the family of the victim for the death of the popular cleric.