Gumi questions absence of government dialogue with Boko Haram, bandits

Islamic cleric Ahmad Gumi has questioned why no government official has met with Boko Haram fighters and armed bandits to seek peace, comparing the situation with past efforts to engage Niger Delta militants.

In a Facebook post on Saturday, Gumi recalled how former President Goodluck Jonathan and former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo visited militants in the Niger Delta and later introduced programmes aimed at reducing violence.

He wrote, “The former President Jonathan visited delta militants in the creeks, so also the former vice president Osinbajo. They all came up with a program to tame the militants.”

The cleric then asked why similar efforts could not be made with armed groups in northern Nigeria.

“Who is going to visit BH and Bandits to tame them without fools castigating them?” he asked.

Gumi has long advocated dialogue with armed groups in the North-West and North-East. Over the years, he has visited bandit camps in states such as Zamfara, arguing that negotiations could help end the violence.

He has repeatedly maintained that the approach used to address the Niger Delta crisis should also be considered in tackling insecurity in northern Nigeria.

Gumi, a retired military officer, has, however, consistently denied supporting terrorism, insisting that his objective is to end bloodshed through dialogue and rehabilitation.

The Niger Delta Amnesty Programme was introduced in 2009 under the late President Umaru Yar’Adua and continued by Jonathan.

It encouraged thousands of militants to surrender their weapons in return for training, financial support and reintegration, leading to a significant reduction in attacks on oil facilities.

Jonathan had earlier met former militant leader Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, in the Niger Delta while serving as vice president. He later said the meeting helped pave the way for the amnesty programme.

Osinbajo also visited Niger Delta communities as acting president in 2017, holding talks with militants and traditional rulers.

He defended the meetings, saying those in the region were Nigerian citizens with genuine grievances that deserved attention.