Renowned Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has dismissed renewed calls for his arrest over his engagements with bandits, insisting he committed no crime by exploring dialogue as a tool to address Nigeria’s worsening insecurity.
Gumi, in a strongly worded statement released on his Facebook page on Sunday, described his critics as “spineless, irresponsible and unpatriotic imbecilic people” who are driven by bigotry and intolerance for opposing views on national security.
The Kaduna-based cleric, who has repeatedly courted controversy for meeting bandits across the North-West, said those demanding that security agencies “pick him up” have chosen outrage over reason, and politics over a genuine search for peace.
‘My Engagement Was Transparent, Approved by Authorities’
Defending his peace missions, Gumi recalled leading a high-level intervention in January 2021 at the Sabon Garin Yadi forest in Giwa Local Government Area of Kaduna State, where he met more than 600 armed bandits and their commanders.
According to him, the mission was conducted with full knowledge of the security authorities.
“I was at Sabon Garin Yadi forest, accompanied by the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, who represented the Inspector-General of Police,” he wrote.
“This meeting was part of a peace initiative where we preached to over 600 bandits and their commanders, who agreed to lay down their arms in exchange for security and basic amenities.”
Gumi stressed that his interactions were neither secret nor illegal, describing them as part of broader efforts to persuade the criminals to embrace dialogue, surrender their weapons and end attacks on local communities.
The cleric maintained that there is no legal or moral basis for his arrest, arguing that engagement has always been an acceptable conflict-resolution approach.
“The loudest voices calling for my arrest are driven by ignorance and bigotry,” he said. “I committed no crime by seeking peace.”
He accused his detractors of politicising security matters rather than interrogating the failures that have allowed kidnappings, killings and terrorism to fester across the country.
Sheikh Gumi rose to national prominence in 2021 after initiating a series of peace missions to bandit enclaves in Kaduna, Niger, Zamfara and other states. While some Nigerians credit him with fostering dialogue, many others accuse him of legitimising violent criminals.
Despite recurring public criticism, the cleric maintains that negotiations — not military force — remain the most sustainable pathway to ending banditry.
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