Gumi: Why We Must Negotiate With Bandits to End Terrorism

Gumi: Why We Must Negotiate With Bandits to End Terrorism

Kaduna-based Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has restated his longstanding stance that negotiating with armed bandits is a practical and religiously sound approach to ending violence, challenging the view that governments should never engage with criminals.

In an interview with BBC Pidgin News, Gumi asserted that the concept of refusing to negotiate with terrorists is not supported by scripture or international practice. “What do you mean when they say we don’t negotiate with terror?

That word, 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 is negotiating with bandits,” he said.

He pointed to examples such as U.S. engagement with the Taliban in Qatar, arguing that dialogue is used globally to pursue peace and strategic interests. “If negotiation will stop bloodshed, we do it,” he added.

Addressing critics who say his mediation legitimizes criminality, Gumi clarified that his past interactions were coordinated with authorities and media. “I go there with the authorities. I don’t go there alone. And I go there with the press,” he stated, noting that his last direct engagement with bandit groups was in 2021, before they were officially designated as terrorists.

On one of his most contentious remarks – that kidnapping schoolchildren is a “lesser evil” than killing soldiers – Gumi offered a partial clarification: “Saying that kidnapping children is a lesser evil than killing soldiers – definitely, it is lesser. Killing is worse. But they are all evil. It is just a lesser evil.” He condemned the recent mass abduction of schoolchildren in Niger State as “evil.”

Gumi emphasized that military action alone cannot solve Nigeria’s insecurity, noting that the armed forces themselves acknowledge the limits of kinetic operations.

He explained that many bandits are Fulani herders who see themselves in a struggle for survival, with cattle rearing central to their identity and livelihood.

While acknowledging that banditry has spread geographically, Gumi maintained that large-scale massacres and village raids have decreased since his earlier peace missions, suggesting that dialogue had previously helped contain the violence.

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