Controversial Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has renewed his advocacy for dialogue as a strategy to address Nigeria’s lingering security crises, arguing that military force alone has failed to bring lasting peace.
Gumi maintained that engagement and negotiation with armed groups, including bandits, remain a viable option, insisting that similar approaches yielded results during the Niger Delta militancy.
In a post shared on his Facebook page on Saturday, the cleric dismissed claims that negotiations do not work, contending instead that prolonged warfare has produced little success.
He questioned the effectiveness of the current security approach, noting that Boko Haram insurgency has persisted for over 16 years, while banditry has continued for more than a decade despite sustained military operations.
According to him, repeating the same tactics without achieving different outcomes amounts to strategic failure.
Gumi argued that violence often feeds on itself, with hostility on one side provoking retaliation on the other, thereby sustaining a cycle of bloodshed.
He stressed that breaking this pattern requires a deliberate shift towards conflict resolution mechanisms anchored on dialogue, compromise and mutual understanding.
The cleric further emphasised that any meaningful peace process must be rooted in intellectual engagement, moral persuasion and faith-based rejection of violence, warning that an endless reliance on force risks deepening resentment and prolonging instability.
