Islamic preacher Gumi calls for sending theologians to gangs in Nigeria
Islamic preacher Ahmad Gumi in Nigeria has again called for sending authoritative Muslim theologians to armed gangs hiding in forests in the country’s northwest and north-central regions. In his view, religious education and other non-violent approaches could help end banditry.
As Premium Times Nigeria reports, Gumi outlined his position in a Facebook post. According to him, a military strategy alone is insufficient, while theologians could explain to members of the groups Islam’s prohibition on killings, oppression and encroachment on others’ property.
Proposal for dialogue
Gumi said that preaching to bandits has been ongoing since 2021. He believes that systematically sending theologians to different groups in northwestern Nigeria could reduce the need for military operations.
The preacher also claims that many members of such groups are the result of lack of education, poverty and social neglect. In his opinion, ignoring socio-economic and educational problems will only prolong the crisis.
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Visits to camps
At the beginning of 2021, Gumi made several peacebuilding trips to bandit camps, partly at his own expense and with the support of the authorities. In February of that year, he visited the Dutsen Magaji forest in Niger State after students of the Government Science College in Kagara were abducted.
During meetings in forest camps, Gumi urged the armed men to abandon attacks, abductions, rape and killings, obtain formal Islamic education and lay down their weapons. He also proposed a federal rehabilitation program similar to the presidential amnesty program in the Niger Delta: amnesty, access to schools and basic medical care, as well as involving repentant herders in forest protection.
Critics of such contacts warn that negotiations with criminal groups could legitimize terrorism. The publication notes that banditry in Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Kaduna, Kebbi, Kogi, Niger and Kwara states began as local disputes between farmers and herders over resources and later grew into widespread commercialized terrorism.
