Islamic cleric Sheikh Gumi has described the kidnapping of schoolchildren as a “lesser evil” compared to killing soldiers, insisting that Nigeria must negotiate with bandits to prevent greater bloodshed.

Speaking in an interview with the BBC shared on Tuesday, Gumi said that while the abduction of minors is “evil,” it remains less grievous than murder — particularly in situations where kidnapped children are eventually released unharmed.

“Saying that kidnapping children is a lesser evil than killing your soldiers, definitely is lesser. Killing is worse than, but they are all evil. It’s just a lesser evil. Not all evils are of the same power.

He cited previous incidents, including the mass abduction in Kebbi State, arguing that the victims were freed without fatalities.

“So it’s a lesser evil than, like, what happened in Kebbi. They abducted children, and they were released. They didn’t kill them.”

The remarks come as more than 315 people — including 303 students and 12 teachers — were abducted in Niger State.

On 7 December, the Federal Government announced the release of 100 students, while an earlier report confirmed the escape of 50 others just days after the kidnapping.

“It’s an evil, and we pray that they escape”, Gumi responded briefly when asked what he would say to their parents.

Gumi also defended his long-held stance that negotiating with bandits is unavoidable, describing engagement with bandits and other non-state actors as a practical strategy to secure peace and save lives, and noting that “everybody negotiates with bandits.”

“That word [‘we don’t negotiate’], I don’t know where they got it from. It’s not in the Bible. It’s not in the Quran.

“In fact, it’s not even in practice. Everybody’s negotiating with outlaws, non-state actors, everybody. So who got it, and where did they get that knowledge from? We negotiate for peace and our strategic interests. If negotiation will bring stoppage to bloodshed, we will do it.”

The cleric stressed that his past engagements with bandits were not carried out secretly or independently.

“I go there with the authorities. I don’t go there alone. And I go there with the press,” he said.

Gumi revealed that his last direct meetings with bandit groups were in 2021, saying he made marathon efforts to bring various factions together, but the federal government at the time “was not keen” on the initiative.

He said once the groups were officially designated as terrorists, he completely withdrew from any contact.

Turning to the wider security situation, the former army captain argued that Nigeria’s military cannot shoulder the burden alone.

“We need a robust army… but even the military is saying our role in this civil unrest, in this criminality, is 95% kinetic. The rest is the government, the politics, and the locals. The military cannot do everything.”

Gumi also maintained that most bandits are Fulani herdsmen, not urban Fulani, urging a clear distinction between the two. He described their struggle as rooted in survival and cattle rearing:

“They are fighting an existential war… Their life revolves around cattle. In fact, they inherit them. They’ll tell you, ‘This cow I inherited from my grandfather.’ They are mostly Fulani herdsmen, not the Fulani town, because you have to differentiate between the two.”

Gumi’s remarks underscore the delicate balance between dialogue and enforcement in addressing Nigeria’s persistent insecurity, particularly in the northwest, where kidnappings, bandit raids, and violence continue to disrupt communities. (PUNCH)

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