Sheikh Ahmad Abubakar Gumi, a prominent Islamic cleric, has called on President Bola Tinubu to negotiate with the numerous bandits who are causing violence and chaos throughout the country.
Gumi, who is a former military officer, argues that spending large amounts of money on weapons to combat insurgency is outdated and a waste of taxpayer funds.
Instead, he believes that the government should focus on developing non-violent strategies to address the issue of insecurity.
Gumi asserts that banditry is a social problem that stems from the long-standing conflict between farmers and herders in the northern region.
He suggests that engaging in an honest dialogue with the perpetrators could help resolve this problem.
Regarding the military’s recent attack on Tudun Biri residents in Kaduna State, Gumi states that it is time for the military to refrain from interfering in internal security challenges.
He believes that the country needs a stronger police force to effectively address issues like banditry.
“This is not the first time such is happening. The military should fight the military. Tank by tank. Jet by jet. Military should be out of fighting insecurity. We are not fighting Cameroon or Togo,” Gumi told TrustTV.
“And the jet fighters should not be used on citizens. I cannot imagine any American president, no matter how instructive, would use F16 to bombard Americans. Impossible. He would go down the next day.
“What we need are very good policies. Then stronger policing. That’s where our money should go. All those people should be involved in community policing.
“In every society you have very good people and they are the majority. Nigerians are very humble people; very resilient who can sustain a lot of hardship. So I don’t see why good governance and good policing should be a big deal.
“All the money we spend on buying all these Second World War aeroplanes and artillery and jets to fight insurgency is an archaic way of dealing with this issue. And billions of naira are spent on that.
“Negotiate with these people. Build for them schools and hospitals. Let them have future. Build for them markets. Even the people we call bandits, what they sometimes complain is that they no longer have cattle markets because whenever they establish market, it gets destroyed.
“So the military should be out of this picture completely. We are not fighting a foreign country. We should develop our internal security,” he added.
