Gumi Rejects Accusations of Banditry, Urges a Shift Away from Solely Military Tactics

By Ibrahim Hassan-Wuyo

Islamic cleric Ahmad Abubakar Mahmoud Gumi has denied accusations that he supports or condones banditry. He said his calls for dialogue and rehabilitation have been misrepresented by “ethnic-interest groups” and sensational online content creators.

Speaking in Kaduna, Sheikh Gumi defended his long‑standing advocacy for a non‑kinetic strategy to address insecurity, especially banditry and insurgency in Northern Nigeria.

He noted that Nigeria has relied mainly on military force since the 2009 killing of the Boko Haram leader, yet insecurity has spread to states such as Katsina, Zamfara and Niger.

“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 earlier efforts in Katsina and Zamfara focused largely on paying bandits without addressing the root causes of the crisis.

He proposed a broader rehabilitation framework that would involve engaging armed groups, removing them from forests, enrolling their children in schools and creating surrender pathways 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 asked.

Gumi said many bandits fear arrest or retaliation after surrendering, stressing that confidence‑building measures are essential for any peace initiative to succeed.

Drawing a parallel with the rehabilitation of repentant Boko Haram members, he maintained that similar measures could yield 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 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 called “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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