- Sheikh Gumi defends past bandit negotiations, calling kidnapping a “lesser evil”.
- Says abduction of schoolchildren is wrong, but less severe than killing soldiers.
- Claims no bandits contact since 2021, after government labeled them terrorists.
- Urges dialogue over force, saying army “cannot defeat guerrilla fighters.”
Renowned Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has once again addressed criticism surrounding his earlier relationship with armed bandits, stating that some of his controversial comments from 2021 were misunderstood, even though not entirely incorrect.
Speaking during a BBC interview, Gumi revisited his statement comparing child abductions to attacks on Nigerian soldiers, saying: “Kidnapping children is evil, killing soldiers is evil, but all evils are not the same. One is definitely lesser.”
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His remarks come at a time when Nigeria is experiencing another wave of mass school kidnappings in Kebbi and Niger States, raising fear among parents and heightening national anxiety over the safety of students.
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Gumi also responded to claims that he continues to communicate with bandit leaders. According to him, his last field engagement was four years ago, during peace efforts that he says were known to security operatives.
“I never went alone, it was always with security permission. When the government later declared them terrorists, we withdrew completely,” he explained.
The cleric described many armed groups operating in the northwest and the expanding southwest conflict corridors as mainly Fulani herders, who he believes feel pushed into violence due to shrinking grazing routes and economic pressure.
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Although widely criticized for advocating negotiations with armed groups, Gumi insists that force alone cannot solve insecurity. He argued that the Nigerian military faces the same limitations global armies encounter when fighting guerrilla-style groups, calling for long-term political and community-driven solutions.
“Even armies admit kinetic action is just 25%. The rest needs politics, dialogue, and community input. No military anywhere has defeated guerrilla fighters outright.”
His stance continues to divide opinion nationwide, but it reignites a critical question: can Nigeria win this war with bullets alone, or must the nation return to dialogue?
