Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi says Nigeria could have achieved more in addressing banditry if more Islamic scholars were deployed to preach and engage bandits in the northwest.
In a post on his official Facebook page on Wednesday, Gumi argues that sustained dialogue could complement, and in some cases reduce, the reliance on predominantly military or “kinetic” responses. He says bandits are shaped by factors such as ignorance, deprivation, and social neglect, and that targeting the underlying conditions could help limit the crisis. He also frames engagement as teaching bandits Islamic principles including the sanctity of human life, respect for people’s property, and prohibitions on killing and oppression. Gumi points to the period since 2021, saying that after nearly six years of preaching to bandits, the impact could have been greater with broader, systematic involvement of credible scholars across the region.
