Gumi asks : Who will engage Boko Haram, bandits as Jonathan, Osinbajo did to militants?

Islamic scholar Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has renewed his advocacy for dialogue with Boko Haram insurgents and armed bandits, arguing that Nigeria should consider adopting a strategy similar to the one used to end militancy in the Niger Delta.

In a Facebook post on Saturday, Gumi said past engagements between top government officials and Niger Delta militants showed that negotiations could work alongside military operations in restoring peace.

The Kaduna-based cleric questioned why discussions with insurgents in the North are widely opposed despite the success of dialogue during the Niger Delta crisis.

Recalling previous peace efforts in the oil-producing region, Gumi cited former President Goodluck Jonathan and former Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo as examples of leaders who reached out to militants before the implementation of broader peace initiatives.

“The former President Jonathan visited delta militants in the creeks, as did the former Vice-President Osinbajo. They all came up with a program to tame the militants,” he wrote.

He then posed a question regarding Nigeria’s prolonged security crisis in the North.

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

The latest comments reinforce Gumi’s longstanding position that dialogue should complement military operations in addressing insecurity. Over the years, he has consistently argued that negotiations could encourage fighters to surrender, reduce bloodshed and pave the way for lasting peace.

His stance, however, has continued to generate sharp reactions across the country.

Critics maintain that negotiating with groups accused of terrorism, kidnapping and mass killings could legitimise criminal organisations and undermine justice for victims and affected communities.

Others believe discussions should remain part of the government’s options, pointing to claims that Gumi’s previous interventions contributed to the release of some kidnapped victims.

The former military officer has repeatedly denied allegations of supporting terrorism or banditry, insisting that his contacts with armed groups were aimed solely at ending violence and persuading fighters to abandon criminal activities.

Gumi’s argument draws on the Niger Delta experience, where years of attacks on oil installations eventually gave way to a government-backed amnesty programme introduced in 2009 under the administration of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and sustained by former President Jonathan.

The initiative encouraged thousands of militants to surrender their weapons in exchange for rehabilitation, education, vocational training and reintegration, leading to a significant reduction in attacks on oil infrastructure.

Jonathan had previously spoken about travelling into the creeks in 2007 as vice president to meet former militant leader Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, describing the visit as one of the early steps that helped shape the amnesty programme.

Similarly, Osinbajo, while serving as acting president, undertook visits to Niger Delta communities where he met with local leaders and stakeholders, stressing that lasting peace required addressing the region’s underlying grievances alongside security measures.

Gumi’s latest intervention comes as the Federal Government continues to emphasise military operations against Boko Haram, ISWAP and other armed groups operating across parts of the North-East, North-West and North-Central.

Security agencies have maintained that troops remain committed to dismantling terrorist networks despite renewed attacks by insurgents and the persistence of kidnappings and banditry in several states.

At the peak of bandit attacks in Zamfara and neighbouring states, Gumi held a series of meetings with armed groups in forest camps, saying the engagements were intended to persuade them to lay down their weapons and facilitate the release of abducted victims.

Boko Haram remains a proscribed terrorist organisation in Nigeria, making proposals for negotiations with the group a recurring legal, political and ethical issue.

Security experts have cautioned against equating the Boko Haram insurgency with the Niger Delta militancy, noting that while the latter was largely driven by resource control demands, Boko Haram is motivated by extremist ideology and has evolved into a transnational terrorist movement.

Some analysts nevertheless argue that dialogue can be effective in certain conflicts if there is a recognised leadership structure, genuine willingness to negotiate and credible enforcement mechanisms.