COMMENTARY
“Bandits Are On Revenge Mission, They Listen to Dialogue, Unlike IPOB That Wants to Leave Nigeria” — Sheikh Gumi Sparks Fresh Outrage with Controversial Claims on Northern Insecurity
Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has once again ignited widespread controversy after defending bandits terrorising northern Nigeria, asserting that their violent activities are driven by revenge rather than senseless brutality.
Gumi, who has consistently courted public outrage over his perceived sympathy for terrorists, made the remarks during an interview on Trust TV on Friday.
According to the cleric, Fulani herdsmen and armed bandit groups operating across parts of the North do not carry out attacks without provocation. He argued that their actions are responses to accumulated grievances and perceived injustices rather than unprovoked violence.
the cleric maintained that the attackers were motivated by grievances and vengeance, not sheer brutality.
Expanding on his position, Gumi said, “you see, if you know their psychology, they are on a revenge mission,” insisting that understanding their mindset is key to resolving the security crisis.
Sheikh Gumi, who has long advocated amnesty, negotiation, and dialogue with armed groups, further claimed that Fulani herdsmen had coexisted peacefully with other ethnic communities for centuries before recent conflicts. He maintained that the current violence is a reaction to injustices allegedly suffered by the group over time.
In a particularly contentious recommendation, the cleric urged the administration of President Bola Tinubu to abandon military offensives against bandits and instead focus on unification, rehabilitation, and integration of the armed groups into the Nigerian Army.
The interview took an even more controversial turn when Gumi compared bandit groups with members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), accusing IPOB of rejecting dialogue and pursuing secession from Nigeria.
“It’s unlike the others like IPOB. The government has been trying to dialogue with them; they still refuse. They are still behind creating a separate state. They are secessionists.
“Besides being terrorists, they are secessionists. Well, these people (bandits) are not secessionists.,” Gumi said.
His remarks have since triggered intense debate and criticism, particularly among Nigerians who view banditry as one of the country’s deadliest security threats, responsible for mass killings, kidnappings, and displacement of communities across the North.