7 years of force has failed, try amnesty for bandits — Gumi tells FG

Kaduna-based Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Abubakar Mahmoud Gumi

7 years of force has failed, try amnesty for bandits — Gumi tells FG

Kaduna-based Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Abubakar Mahmoud Gumi has called on the Federal Government to grant amnesty to armed bandits, arguing that Nigeria should adopt the same rehabilitation and reintegration approach used for repentant Boko Haram members who surrendered to the military.

Speaking during a press conference at his residence in Kaduna on Monday, May 25, 2026, Gumi said Nigeria’s prolonged reliance on military force had failed to end banditry and insurgency after nearly two decades. The cleric questioned the effectiveness of the government’s continued reliance on a kinetic approach, noting that the country had spent years battling insecurity without lasting success since the Boko Haram insurgency escalated in 2009.

“If the kinetic approach is not working for 17 years, why don’t you change the approach? Let’s change the method,” Gumi said.

Gumi argued that previous attempts at negotiation in states such as Katsina and Zamfara failed because authorities focused mainly on financial settlements without establishing long-term rehabilitation programmes. “Because what Katsina did is to bring the bandits, give them money, and let them go. Why don’t we change the method? Let’s engage them,” he said.

The cleric proposed a broader strategy centred on dialogue, rehabilitation, education and amnesty for repentant bandits willing to surrender their weapons. He called for a comprehensive approach that would involve removing armed groups from forests, educating their children, and creating sustainable rehabilitation programmes. “Let’s dislodge them from the forest. Let’s take their children and put them in school. Let’s do something different,” Gumi said.

The cleric argued that relying solely on military operations would not end insecurity, claiming that several military officers had privately admitted that force accounts for only a fraction of the solution. “The kinetic approach is just about 25 percent of solving this kind of problem,” he stated, calling for government action to address poverty, ignorance and social injustice, which he described as root causes of violence.

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According to Gumi, some bandits have expressed willingness to lay down their arms if they are guaranteed protection from arrest or retaliation after surrendering. “These people told us they are ready to lay down their arms, but what are their conditions? Has anybody listened to them?” he queried. He said many fighters fear arrest or reprisals if they surrender, insisting that a structured amnesty programme would encourage more militants to disarm voluntarily.

“They said they fear when they lay down arms, they will then be pursued and arrested. So give them the amnesty so that they don’t need to fear putting down their arms,” Gumi said. Drawing parallels with the rehabilitation programme for repentant Boko Haram members, he maintained that similar measures could produce 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.

Gumi also used the briefing to deny allegations that he supports terrorism or violent groups, accusing what he described as “ethnic-interest groups,” individuals driven by prejudice, and online content creators of deliberately twisting his public comments and media interviews to portray him as a supporter of insecurity.

“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,” he declared. The cleric warned that anyone circulating “fake, manipulated and doctored materials” against him would face legal action, stating that such falsehoods are being spread to attract viewership at the expense of human suffering and sacrifice.

“I have no association with insecurity in Nigeria. On the contrary, I am a peaceful citizen who loves this country more than anything,” he said. Defending his controversial meetings with bandits in the past, he said the engagements were carried out with the knowledge of authorities and were intended to persuade fighters to surrender their weapons. “I made them swear before God that they would stop stealing, stop killing and lay down their arms, and some of them did,” he said.

The cleric linked insecurity to poverty, social injustice and corruption, urging leaders to pursue reforms capable of addressing the root causes of violence. “We need sanity in governance. We don’t want to hear stories of government officials swallowing billions of naira while talking about fighting criminals. Crime is crime,” he said.

He 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. “I sincerely hope that our great nation will heal, and that all victims affected by this violence will find comfort in the collective determination of the nation and the international community to achieve a lasting solution to the insecurity fueled over time by ignorance, poverty, and widespread social injustice,” he added.

Gumi has repeatedly canvassed amnesty for bandits over the years. In 2021, he argued that if those involved in Nigeria’s civil war and past military coups were pardoned, repentant bandits should also be considered for forgiveness. His position has remained controversial, with critics arguing that granting blanket amnesty could embolden criminal groups and undermine justice for victims of terrorism and banditry.