Insecurity: Gumi Replies El-Rufai Over Comment On Bandits

Renowned Islamic scholar, Ahmad Gumi, has replied to the comments made by the Governor of Kaduna state, Nasir El-Rufai, on granting amnesty to bandits.

Naija News reports that in an interview on BBC Hausa on Monday, El-Rufai condemned the Islamic cleric’s meeting with bandits in Zamfara last week.

The governor said it was wrong to negotiate the bandits, adding that his government will not grant amnesty to the criminals.

But in a reaction on Tuesday, Gumi said the reason for the mediation was to solve the issue of insecurity in the region, noting that the mediation is for the benefit of all residents of the region.

He stressed that the aim of the meeting with the bandits was to convince them to drop their arms and ammunition and repent.

The cleric said many herders became bandits because of years of injustice including killing them and their cattle, extortion, and burning their homes by security operatives.

Gumi said he has started seeing progress from his interactions with the bandits in the forests in Zamfara State and other states.

He added that the bandits have started putting down their arms and the state government has promised to accept and protect them.

The cleric also faulted El-Rufai’s statement that nobody offended the herdsmen and therefore they do not deserve compensation.

Gumi said: “Nobody said criminals should be compensated ‎but 90 percent of the herdsmen are victims of military violence. They lost their parents, they lost their cattle and houses because of military activities and so they should be compensated.”

The cleric said the fact that the bandits were ignorant of religion doesn’t mean they should be eliminated as suggested by the Kaduna governor.

He said: “It doesn’t mean that just because somebody is ignorant of religion you should kill him. Teach him religion. What is the difference between you and the Boko Haram ideology, which calls ‎people infidels and therefore they kill them? The herders are living in abject poverty, neglected, marginalised. Instead of buying fighter jets, why can’t you use the money to build schools, roads and hospitals for them? You have to give people their rights before you think of killing them.”