Adebayo Adenrele
A renowned Islamic Cleric, Sheikh Gumi has urged President Bola Tinubu to negotiate with bandits, saying such action would prevent greater bloodshed.
Gumi, who described the kidnapping of school children as a “lesser evil” compared to killing soldiers, cited previous incidents, including the mass abduction in Kebbi State, arguing that the victims were freed without fatalities.
Speaking in an interview with the BBC on Tuesday, Gumi defended his long-held stance that negotiating with bandits is unavoidable, describing engagement with bandits and other non-state actors as a practical strategy to secure peace and save lives.
His words, “That word [‘we don’t negotiate’], I don’t know where they got it from. It’s not in the Bible. It’s not in the Quran.
“In fact, it’s not even in practice. Everybody’s negotiating with outlaws, non-state actors, everybody. So who got it, and where did they get that knowledge from? We negotiate for peace and our strategic interests. If negotiation will bring stoppage to bloodshed, we will do it”.
The cleric stressed that his past engagements with bandits were not carried out secretly or independently.
“I go there with the authorities. I don’t go there alone. And I went there with the press,” he added.
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