Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has defended his advocacy for a non-kinetic response to insecurity in Nigeria, stating that he would champion calls for the release of the convicted leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, if Kanu demonstrates remorse.
Kanu was convicted on seven terrorism charges by the Federal High Court in Abuja. However, Gumi said that if the IPOB leader expresses regret for his statements and actions, he will join those advocating for his pardon.
“This Kanu that was imprisoned for terrorism for agitating that our soldiers should be killed, if this same Kanu now will show remorse and also call for peace, honestly, I will be in the forefront in calling for his pardon and amnesty for him,” he said on Tuesday during Channels Television’s The Morning Brief.
He referenced past presidential decisions granting amnesty.
“Look, Shagari, our president, we are from the same town. Shagari gave amnesty to Ojukwu. Look at Umar Yar’Adua; he gave amnesty to the Niger Delta militants, who have also committed acts of terrorism. So, this is how we are.”
Gumi, who consistently promotes non-kinetic solutions to insecurity, especially in northern Nigeria, argued that the country stands to gain more from dialogue than force.
He questioned why military action is often prioritised.
He noted international examples:
“Even America could not succeed in Afghanistan, even Israel could not succeed in a small strip of land. Our army is not designed for the gorilla; no army is designed for the kind of people we are showing now, no army is designed for it,” he said.
Gumi added that some groups have shown willingness to embrace peace.
“If you have been following, the Fulani herdsmen have been calling for peace. When you call them for peace, they come with their guns for many reasons.”
He further questioned whether certain groups would respond to peace efforts.
“Can you call IPOB for peace? Can you call Boko Haram? I think the former president has called for peace, and they came, but now it’s difficult to call for peace again. So, anybody who inclines to peace. I’m with him, I’m telling you.”
His comments come amid rising insecurity across the country, with recent mass abductions of schoolchildren and worshippers in multiple states heightening national concerns.
President Bola Tinubu has directed security agencies to pursue the perpetrators, though opposition figures have criticised the government’s response as insufficient.