Gumi denies supporting banditry, calls for shift from purely military approach

By Ibrahim Hassan-Wuyo

Renowned Islamic cleric, Ahmad Abubakar Mahmoud Gumi, has denied allegations that he supports or justifies banditry, insisting that his advocacy for dialogue and rehabilitation has been deliberately distorted by what he described as “ethnic-interest groups” and sensational online content creators.

Speaking in Kaduna, Sheikh Gumi defended his long-standing call for a non-kinetic strategy in tackling insecurity, particularly banditry and insurgency in Northern Nigeria.

According to him, Nigeria has relied predominantly on military force since the killing of the Boko Haram leader in 2009, yet insecurity has continued to spread across states including Katsina State, Zamfara State and Niger State.

“I flip the question,” Gumi said. “If the kinetic approach is not working for 17 years, why don’t you change the approach? Why don’t you change the methodology?”

The cleric argued that previous efforts in states such as Katsina and Zamfara focused largely on giving money to bandits without fully addressing the root causes of the crisis.

He advocated a broader rehabilitation framework involving engagement with armed groups, dislodging them from forests, enrolling their children in schools and creating pathways for surrender through amnesty arrangements.

“These people told us they are ready to lay down their arms, but what are their conditions? Has anybody listened to them?” he queried.

Gumi said many bandits fear they could be arrested or targeted after surrendering, stressing that confidence-building measures would be necessary for any peace initiative to succeed.

Drawing parallels with the rehabilitation of repentant Boko Haram members, he maintained that similar measures could produce better results than years of military confrontation.

“From the number of Boko Haram repentants, which are in thousands, you can see that the same approach can be applied to the bandits,” he stated.

The cleric also called for moral reforms in governance, condemning corruption and insisting that criminality should not be tolerated in any form.

“We need sanity in governance,” he said. “We don’t want to hear stories of government officials swallowing billions of naira while talking about fighting criminals. Crime is crime.”

He further urged peaceful coexistence among ethnic and religious groups across the country.

In a separate press statement issued in Kaduna on May 23, 2026, Gumi expressed concern over what he described as persistent misrepresentation of his views in media interviews, public lectures and online discourse.

“I hereby state unequivocally that any video clip, written statement, or message attributed to me — whether directly or by innuendo — suggesting support for, justification of, protection of, or advocacy for banditry or terrorism in Nigeria or anywhere else does not emanate from me,” the statement read.

The cleric urged the public, media organisations and government authorities to disregard what he termed “fake, manipulated and doctored materials” being circulated about him, warning that individuals spreading falsehoods against him could face legal action.

He also expressed hope that Nigeria would eventually overcome insecurity through collective efforts aimed at addressing poverty, ignorance and social injustice, which he identified as underlying drivers of violence.

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