Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, says he is willing to champion an amnesty campaign for the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, but only if the separatist agitator publicly renounces violence.
Kanu is currently serving a life sentence after he was convicted of terrorism by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
Speaking on Channels Television’s breakfast programme on Tuesday, Gumi insisted that dialogue, not force, remains Nigeria’s most realistic path to resolving its worsening security crises.
He argued that the Nigerian military is ill-equipped for prolonged guerrilla warfare, adding that kinetic operations alone cannot deliver lasting peace.
“Our army is not designed for a guerrilla war; no army is designed for that,” he said.
“If Kanu shows remorse and calls for peace, I will be at the forefront of advocating his pardon and amnesty.”
Gumi defended his long-standing call for negotiations with armed groups, saying the approach has yielded results in Kaduna but failed in Zamfara due to the state government’s inability to honour agreements with bandits.
Citing historical precedents, he reminded Nigerians that former President Shehu Shagari granted amnesty to the late Biafra warlord, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, while the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua administration offered amnesty to Niger Delta militants despite their violent campaigns.
“This is how we are. We always look for a way out,” he said.
The cleric dismissed suggestions of external intervention, particularly from the United States, warning that foreign involvement could inflame ethnic and religious tensions.
“Our sovereignty is a red line. We cannot accept foreign forces coming to Nigeria under any excuse,” he declared.
Gumi maintained that security on the Kaduna–Abuja highway has improved significantly, though not perfectly, and urged Nigerians to give the government more time to stabilise the situation.
“Things are improving. I’m not saying it’s 100 percent, but we should give government a chance,” he added.
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