Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has publicly defended his engagement with terrorists and armed bandits, insisting that his frequent visits to their camps are conducted with the full knowledge and physical presence of security operatives and government officials.
Speaking at the 2025 Southwest Muslims Ulama Summit in Ibadan, Gumi criticized media and public “misrepresentation” of his role, stating that his primary goal is to understand the root causes of insecurity and open channels for the education and rehabilitation of armed groups.
Sheikh Gumi is an intermediary between the Nigerian government and various armed bandit groups responsible for mass kidnappings and violence, particularly in the North-West. His advocacy for dialogue and amnesty over kinetic military action has drawn criticism from Nigerians and some security experts who argue that negotiating with bandits emboldens criminality and undermines the authority of the state.
Gumi stressed that the fundamental drivers of banditry are “lack of education and unemployment,” due to years of neglect that have isolated herders and created a frustrated, uneducated generation.
He stated that his visits are not secretive, and that he carries the needed agencies along;
When I go, I go with the police. I don’t go alone. I go with the government. It’s not a one-man machine. I carry everybody along…So I say, the best way to curb insecurity is to go and see the source of the insecurity. In trying to go there, and establish contact with them, and open channels for them to get educated, then it became a problem – Gumi
Gumi maintains that his intervention approach is to identify the source of the insecurity and build channels to integrate armed herders back into society through learning and guidance.
The cleric fires back at critics, describing them as those who prefer “outrage to truth” as “spineless, irresponsible, and unpatriotic imbecilic people.”
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