Renowned Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has reaffirmed his stance that a negotiated, non-kinetic strategy remains the most viable route to resolving Nigeria’s escalating insecurity, insisting that several armed groups are signalling readiness to surrender their weapons and embrace peace.
Speaking on The Morning Brief programme on Channels Television on Tuesday, Gumi argued that continued reliance on military force risks prolonging the cycle of violence, warning that Nigeria must adopt a more pragmatic and community-centred approach.
“We have people who are ready to put down their arms, so why do we always decide it has to be kinetic?” he queried, urging government to consider the signals coming from within the conflict zones.
He referenced global experiences to underscore his point, noting that even well-resourced armies have struggled to contain guerrilla-style warfare. “Even America could not succeed in Afghanistan; even Israel could not succeed in a small strip of land. Our army is not designed for guerrilla warfare; no army is designed for the kind of people we are facing now.”
Gumi, who has frequently drawn criticism for his outreach to armed groups, maintained that distinguishing between communal conflict and individual criminality is essential in crafting an effective security response.
“After the civil war, atrocities were committed from both sides, and over two million people died, yet the engineers were pardoned because it was communal,” he said. “But when it’s an individual killing an individual, the law must take its full course. Right now, what we are trying to do is stop the bleeding.”
