Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has questioned who would be willing to engage Boko Haram insurgents and armed bandits through dialogue without facing public criticism, drawing comparisons with past peace efforts undertaken in the Niger Delta.
In a post shared on his Facebook page on Saturday, Gumi referenced the actions of former President Goodluck Jonathan and former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, noting that both leaders had engaged militants in the Niger Delta as part of efforts to restore peace in the region.
According to the cleric, the engagements eventually resulted in programmes that helped curb militancy and stabilize the oil-rich region.
Gumi argued that adopting a similar approach to address the insurgency and banditry in northern Nigeria would likely attract condemnation from some Nigerians.
“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. Who is going to visit BH and Bandits to tame them without fools castigating them?” Gumi wrote on Facebook.
His comments come amid renewed discussions over the most effective strategy for addressing Nigeria’s security challenges, particularly the prolonged activities of Boko Haram insurgents and armed bandit groups operating across parts of the northern region.
The debate over whether military operations alone are sufficient or should be complemented by dialogue and reconciliation initiatives has remained a contentious issue, with differing opinions among security experts, government officials, and members of the public.
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