“This is What We Feared”: Gumi Points Out One Worrisome Act Deadly Bandits Have Started Doing
- Sheikh Ahmad Gumi explained that bandits have become indoctrinated like Boko Haram insurgents rather than people fighting against ethnic marginalisation
- Gumi said he had advised Nigerian authorities to be careful in fighting the bandits so as not to push them to become guerrilla fighters and terrorists
- TheTalk.NG reports that in north-western Nigeria, ultra-violent bandit gangs raid villages, attack drivers, abduct schoolchildren and kill anyone who resists
TheTalk.NG journalist, Ridwan Adeola Yusuf, has over 9 years of experience covering security matters in Nigeria and Africa.
Kaduna, Kaduna state – Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, a popular Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, has expressed doubts about the readiness of armed gangs terrorising northwest Nigeria, commonly called ‘bandits’, to sheath their swords.
Gumi spoke in an interview with The Punch, published on Sunday, October 6, where he insinuated that the terrorists are angry more than ever.
Sheikh Ahmad Gumi explained that bandits are now in a revengeful fight.
Photo credit: Dr. Ahmad Abubakar Mahmud GumiSource: Facebook
Gumi laments new layer of bandits’ violence
He said:
“At the moment, they have started shouting “Allahu Akbar,” and that is what we are fearing. Now they are committing the same crimes of killing, sexually assaulting, and slaughtering.
“When we went there, they were not shouting “Allahu Akbar.” Now, they are aggrieved, and they think it is a revengeful fight. They must have been engaged by religious fanatics. This is what we feared.”
TheTalk.NG reports that bandits routinely loot villages and carry out mass kidnappings for ransom in northwest and north-central Nigeria, where the violence has displaced about one million people, according to the United Nations (UN).
Although, several of the bandit kingins have been recently neutralised, there are some deadly terrorirsts who remain evasive, causing concerns especially among northerners.
According to SBM Intelligence, an Africa-focused research firm, 4,777 people have been abducted since President Tinubu took office on May 29, 2023.
Gumi to Tinubu: ‘Avoid Buhari’s mistakes’
Earlier, TheTalk.NG reported that Gumi sought government’s permission to approach and have talks with bandits.
The Islamic cleric insisted that dialogue was the way to go, calling on President Tinubu to take a different approach from his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, who allegedly rejected the dialogue.
Source: TheTalk.NG
