Islamic scholar Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has renewed his call for dialogue with Boko Haram insurgents and armed bandits, arguing that the Federal Government should consider the same strategy previously used to resolve the Niger Delta militancy.
Writing on his Facebook page on Saturday, Gumi recalled how former President Goodluck Jonathan and former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo personally engaged Niger Delta militants in efforts that eventually led to a reduction in 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.”
Drawing a comparison with the security crisis in northern Nigeria, the cleric questioned why no one was willing to initiate similar discussions with Boko Haram fighters and bandits.
He asked, “Who is going to visit BH and Bandits to tame them without fools castigating them?”
Gumi has long maintained that negotiation remains a better option than relying solely on military operations. Over the years, he has visited camps occupied by armed groups in parts of the North-West, insisting that dialogue could help reduce the violence affecting the region.
His approach has remained controversial. Critics accuse him of giving legitimacy to violent groups responsible for killings, kidnappings and other crimes, while supporters argue that his efforts have helped secure the freedom of some abducted victims.
The retired military officer has repeatedly rejected claims that he supports terrorism, maintaining that his position is aimed at achieving lasting peace through dialogue and rehabilitation.
Nigeria’s Niger Delta Amnesty Programme, introduced in 2009 by the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and continued under Jonathan’s administration, encouraged thousands of militants to surrender their weapons in return for vocational training, financial support and reintegration into society. The programme was widely credited with reducing attacks on oil installations.
Jonathan first met former militant leader Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, in the Niger Delta creeks while serving as vice president in 2007. He later said the meeting played an important role in shaping the amnesty initiative.
Osinbajo also visited communities in the Niger Delta as acting president in 2017, where he held talks with militants, traditional rulers and community leaders. He defended the move by saying those living in the creeks were Nigerian citizens with genuine concerns that deserved engagement.
