(Sheikh Gumi. Photo Credit: BBC News)
Sheikh Gumi has urged the Federal Government to consider negotiating with b@ndits and t3rrorists as part of a broader strategy to address Nigeria’s deepening insecurity crisis.
During an interview, Gumi argued that Nigeria should frame insecurity as an internal problem and develop homegrown solutions rather than allowing international pressure to shape its approach.
According to Gumi, the government should remain open to dialogue with armed groups, pointing to how other countries have successfully used negotiations to resolve conflicts involving militant organisations.
He claimed that former President Olusegun Obasanjo once met with Boko Haram leaders in Maiduguri where they agreed to surrender their weapons, but the government failed to follow through on the agreement.
Gumi proposed that the government announce a six-month amnesty window during which armed groups could surrender their weapons.
After that period, rehabilitation programmes would begin.
He suggested the government could build schools in forest communities for the children of these armed groups as an incentive to encourage them to abandon violence.
His core question was simple: why can’t the government negotiate with them as one possible path toward ending the crisis.
The comments have generated mixed reactions online, with some social media users dismissing the idea of granting amnesty to b@ndits while others acknowledged dialogue as a potentially viable solution.
Critics questioned whether t3rrorists would actually comply with terms, what would happen if they refused, and whether any country actually negotiates with t3rrorists.
Some supporters argued Gumi was making sense while detractors suggested his proposals were unrealistic or dangerous.