Bandits are on a revenge mission but they’re ready for peace talks -Gumi
… unlike IPOB that wants to leave Nigeria
Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has once again stirred controversy by defending armed bandit groups operating across northern Nigeria, insisting that their attacks are driven by “revenge missions” rather than unprovoked violence.
Speaking in an interview on Trust TV on Friday, monitored by SaharaReporters, Gumi argued that Fulani herdsmen and bandit groups “do not attack people without cause.”
He referenced a past visit by former Bauchi State Governor Isa Yuguda to meet thousands of bandits in the forest, claiming the armed groups complained of losing family members and suffering various forms of hostility.
“Yes, I know they have k+lled, and it’s wrong to kill anybody innocent. This is absolutely an obnoxious thing to do. We don’t support that. But if you know their psychology, they are on a revenge mission,” Gumi stated.
While acknowledging the violence perpetrated by the groups, the cleric insisted they were motivated by grievances rooted in perceived injustices, stressing that Fulani herdsmen had lived peacefully with other communities for centuries.
He urged the Tinubu administration to prioritize dialogue, rehabilitation, and reintegration, rather than relying heavily on military offensives. “What the government needs to do is bring them together in a holistic form so that there is peace. They are ready for that. If you call them for peace, they come,” Gumi added.
The cleric also sparked further debate by contrasting the bandits with members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), whom he accused of rejecting dialogue and pursuing secession. “It’s unlike IPOB. The government has been trying to dialogue with them; they refuse. They are secessionists.
Besides being terr+rists, they are secessionists. Well, these people (bandits) are not secessionists. They want peace,” he said. Gumi has repeatedly advocated for amnesty and negotiation with bandits, a position that has drawn widespread criticism amid escalating insecurity in the North.
