Sheikh Gumi has called on the Federal Government to consider negotiating with bandits and terrorists as part of efforts to tackle Nigeria’s worsening insecurity.
Speaking during an interview, Gumi argued that Nigeria should treat insecurity as an internal problem and develop solutions without allowing international opinions to dictate its approach.
According to him, the government should be open to dialogue with armed groups, citing negotiations used by other countries to resolve conflicts involving militant organisations.
Gumi also claimed that former President Olusegun Obasanjo once met with Boko Haram leaders in Maiduguri, where they allegedly agreed to lay down their arms, but the government failed to follow through.
He proposed that the government give the groups a six-month window to surrender their weapons before beginning rehabilitation programmes.
“Otherwise, if I’m the president, I would just come and announce, I’ve given 6 month amnesty window for them to put down their weapons, we’ll do everything.”
Gumi further suggested that schools could be built for the children of the armed groups, including in forest communities, as part of efforts to encourage them to abandon violence.
“Why can’t we negotiate with them?” he asked, insisting that dialogue should be explored as one of the possible ways of ending the crisis.
His comments have sparked mixed reactions online, with some social media users questioning the idea of granting amnesty to bandits while others supported dialogue as a possible solution.
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