Gumi Questions Why Government Has Not Engaged Boko Haram, Bandits in Dialogue.

Controversial Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has questioned why no Nigerian government official has visited Boko Haram insurgents and armed bandits to negotiate an end to the violence ravaging parts of northern Nigeria, drawing comparisons with the Federal Government’s engagement with Niger Delta militants.

In a Facebook post on Saturday, Gumi recalled that former President Goodluck Jonathan and former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo both visited militants in the Niger Delta during periods of unrest and later introduced programmes that helped reduce hostilities in the region.

According to Gumi, the engagements paved the way for initiatives that encouraged militants to lay down their arms and embrace rehabilitation.

“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,” Gumi wrote.

He further questioned who would be willing to undertake a similar peace mission with Boko Haram fighters and bandits without attracting public condemnation.

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

For years, Gumi has advocated dialogue with armed groups operating in Nigeria’s North-West and North-East. The cleric has visited several bandit camps in states such as Zamfara, maintaining that negotiation and rehabilitation, alongside security operations, could help end the prolonged violence.

His approach has continued to generate mixed reactions across the country. While critics argue that engaging criminal groups could legitimise their activities and undermine justice for victims, supporters believe dialogue has contributed to the release of some kidnapped victims and could complement military efforts in restoring peace.

Gumi, a retired military officer, has consistently denied allegations of supporting terrorism, insisting that his interventions are aimed solely at ending bloodshed and encouraging peaceful reintegration of those willing to abandon violence.

Nigeria’s Niger Delta Amnesty Programme, introduced in 2009 under the administration of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and sustained by former President Goodluck Jonathan, provided training, stipends and reintegration opportunities for thousands of ex-militants who surrendered their weapons. The initiative is widely credited with significantly reducing attacks on oil facilities and improving security in the region.

Jonathan had earlier visited the Niger Delta creeks as Vice President in 2007, where he met former militant leader Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo. The meeting was later described as one of the foundations for the amnesty programme.

Similarly, former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, while serving as Acting President in 2017, embarked on a tour of Niger Delta communities, meeting with militants, traditional rulers and stakeholders. He maintained that many of those in the region had legitimate grievances that required dialogue and development, rather than relying solely on military action.

Gumi’s latest remarks have once again reignited debate over whether dialogue should play a greater role in addressing the persistent insurgency and banditry confronting northern Nigeria.