Gumi Suggests Preaching To Bandits To Reduce Insecurity

Renowned Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has called for greater involvement of Islamic scholars in efforts to address banditry in Nigeria’s North-West.

Naija News reports that Gumi said deploying more credible Muslim clerics to engage bandits through sustained preaching could have produced significant results in tackling insecurity across the region.

The cleric made the call in a post on his official Facebook page on Wednesday.

Gumi argued that religious engagement could complement security operations, noting that some bandits were themselves products of ignorance, deprivation and social neglect.

According to him, greater emphasis on religious and community-based engagement could, in some circumstances, reduce reliance on military and other kinetic measures.

He said, “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.”

Gumi said the objective of such engagements should be to remind bandits of Islamic teachings on protecting human life and property.

“The aim is to teach the bandits the sanctity of human life, the inviolability of people’s property, and the Islamic prohibition of killing and oppression,” he stated.

The cleric maintained that public perception of the banditry crisis was sometimes shaped by prejudice, adding, “People are the victims of their own prejudice.”