Islamic cleric Ahmad Gumi questioned on Saturday why no government official had visited Boko Haram fighters and bandits to seek an end to their violence. He drew a parallel with earlier actions by former leaders in the Niger Delta.
Gumi made the remarks in a Facebook post. He recalled that former President Goodluck Jonathan and former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo both visited militants in the creeks.
He stated that both leaders later developed programmes aimed at ending militancy in the region. “The former President Jonathan visited delta militants in the creeks, so also the former vice president Osinbajo. They all came up with a program to tame the militants,” Gumi wrote.
The cleric then asked who would undertake a comparable visit to Boko Haram and bandits. “Who is going to visit BH and Bandits to tame them without fools castigating them?” he asked.
Gumi has for years advocated dialogue with armed groups in the North-West and North-East. He has repeatedly visited bandit camps in Zamfara and other states to hear their grievances. He has argued that negotiation, rather than military force alone, ended militancy in the Niger Delta and should be applied in the North.
Meanwhile, Jonathan first entered the Niger Delta crisis in 2007 while serving as vice president. He travelled to Warri in Delta State to meet former militant leader Government Ekpemupolo, known as Tompolo. Jonathan later said the meeting helped lay the groundwork for the amnesty programme.
Osinbajo also toured Niger Delta communities in 2017 while acting as president. He engaged militants and traditional leaders directly. He maintained that those in the creeks were citizens with genuine grievances.
The Niger Delta amnesty programme, launched in 2009 under the late President Umaru Yar’Adua and continued by Jonathan, led thousands of militants to disarm. In return they received training, stipends and reintegration support. Attacks on oil infrastructure in the region then declined significantly.
Gumi’s interventions have drawn both support and criticism over the years. Some Nigerians have accused him of legitimising groups responsible for kidnapping and killings. Others have credited his efforts with helping secure the release of some kidnap victims.
The cleric has repeatedly denied backing terrorism and has insisted his goal is to end bloodshed through dialogue and rehabilitation.
