Kaduna based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has re-emphasized the need for the Nigerian government to dialogue with bandits in order to stop incessant attacks on innocent citizens.
The cleric stated that there is no military solution to end the insecurity problems Nigeria is currently facing.
Speaking during an interview session with AriseNews TV on Friday morning, the Islamic scholar insisted that persistent military attacks on the terrorists were responsible for their latest lack of sympathy on Nigerians they abducted.
He admonished the Nigerian government should emulate how the United States’ government negotiated with the Taliban terrorists by also having a dialogue with the bandits to prevent the insurgence in the country.
“This thing (banditry) is turning into something else. We are turning them into monsters, more monsters as what they are. They are ignorant, they don’t have direction, they don’t have leadership, they don’t have empathy now because of the way we treat them too, we don’t care when we burn them,” he said
“When we burn their children and women, in fact this very recent incident is just a tip of an iceberg; what has been happening in the bush, until we change our tactics and allow people who know, these politicians, I am tired of them.
“I was a military man myself, but I don’t think there is a military solution, in fact I think it is humiliating military to think that the military should take care of civilian insurgency, what we need is a very good detective work, very good policing, very good social programme. We should leave our military off these issues. Our military knows fire for fire and these people do not have the fire power, they hide behind the civilians and do whatever they do. So don’t let us humiliate and disgrace our military. This is not their job, this is the job of politicians. This is the job of the police, this is the job of intelligence.
“In fact I believe no ransom should be paid, I believe that but engage, engage these people. Give them hope. But not only in these children’s cases, be holistic. I heard when one military man said it is turning into a war, I am so sad to see that they are now realising that it is turning into a war. It has been war since, it has been ethnic war, it’s been class war, it is not just more than criminality. We have to accept that.
“If we can see Israel and Hamas exchanging prisoners, I don’t see why we can’t negotiate. If Americans can negotiate with the Taliban, I don’t see why we can’t. They (foreign governments) can’t impose on us their own ideas when behind the door, they also negotiate with these terrorists.”
