Preach To Bandits, Don’t Fight Them” — Gumi Suggests Religious Approach To Curb Insecurity

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

According to reports, Gumi made the call in a post on his official Facebook page on Wednesday, where he advocated sustained preaching and engagement with bandits alongside ongoing security operations.

The cleric argued that deploying more credible Islamic scholars to engage bandits since 2021 could have produced better results in efforts to tackle the security crisis across the region.

Gumi said religious and community-based engagement could complement military and other security measures, noting that some bandits were products of ignorance, deprivation and social neglect.

He said the purpose of engaging the bandits through preaching should be to remind them of Islamic teachings concerning the sanctity of human life, protection of property and the prohibition of killing and oppression.

“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 stated.

He added that such engagements should focus on teaching bandits the Islamic principles that prohibit violence and oppression.

“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 said.

Gumi also maintained that public perception of the banditry crisis could sometimes be influenced by prejudice, saying, “People are the victims of their own prejudice.”

The cleric’s comments come amid continued efforts by security agencies and communities to address banditry and other forms of insecurity affecting parts of the North-West.