Sheikh Ahmad Gumi stated that greater progress against banditry would have occurred if more Islamic scholars had joined preaching efforts in northwestern Nigeria.
The Kaduna-based cleric made the remark in a post on his official Facebook page on Wednesday. He reflected on nearly six years of engagement that began in 2021.
Sheikh Ahmad Gumi noted that sustained preaching had produced some results. He added that wider involvement by credible scholars could have achieved far more across the North-West.
“Since 2021 up until now, almost six years since we began preaching to bandits, one cannot help but imagine what could have been achieved if many credible Islamic scholars had been systematically deployed to engage bandits across the North-West,” he wrote.
The aim, he explained, was to teach the bandits the sanctity of human life, the inviolability of people’s property, and the Islamic prohibition of killing and oppression.
Sheikh Ahmad Gumi further stated that only a few people understood the background of many bandits. He said they were products of ignorance, deprivation and social neglect that allowed the crisis to grow.
He observed that the results of such engagement could complement military action. In some cases, he said, the approach could reduce the need for a predominantly kinetic response. “People are the victims of their own prejudice,” he added in the post.
The cleric has previously described his visits to forests and communities as efforts to encourage surrender and promote peace through religious teaching. He has maintained that education and moral guidance form part of any lasting solution.
