“Negotiating with bandits can save lives” – Sheikh Gumi breaks silence on worsening insecurity crisis
Islamic cleric, Sheikh Gumi has addressed the controversial topic of negotiating with bandits in Nigeria, challenging the widespread notion amid growing insecurity in the country.
Speaking candidly during an interview with BBC News, he emphasized that dialogue can be a necessary tool to stop bloodshed and protect lives.
“People say we don’t negotiate with terror. I don’t know where they got that from. It’s not in the Bible, it’s not in the Qur’an, and in fact, it’s not even in practice.
Everybody is negotiating with bandits. America had an office while they were negotiating with Venezuela. Everybody is negotiating with outlaws, so where did they get that knowledge from?” Gumi said.
He explained that negotiations are conducted for peace and strategic interests, stating that if negotiation will bring a stoppage of bloodshed, then it shouldn’t be dismissed.
Explaining further, he revealed that he does not go there alone, he goes with the authorities and the press to the bandit camps.
Reflecting on his past efforts, Sheikh Gumi noted that the last meeting he had with them was in 2021 to see if he could try to bring them together.
Unfortunately, the government at that time was not supportive of their efforts. While the state government was backing the initiative, the federal government was not, which led to the decision to declare the bandits as terrorists.
Reiterating his stance on the varying degrees of criminality, Sheikh Gumi concluded:
“Not all evil is on the same level. Kidnapping is lesser than killing humans, as seen in the release of those school children.”
Gumi’s comments highlight the complexities of dealing with banditry in Nigeria and underline the role of negotiation as a tool to safeguard lives.
Watch video below…
"Where do they get the knowledge that negotiating with terr0r!st is bad? Even the Quran or Bible doesn't oppose it.
Everybody negotiates with terr0r!sts, we negotiate for peace and our strategic interest. if negotiations will stop bl00dsh£d, we do it” – Sheik Gumi on BBC🙆🏼♂️🧎🏼♂️ pic.twitter.com/hFSOW9BFKp— Oyindamola🙄 (@dammiedammie35) December 9, 2025
