Amidst the insecurity ravaging the northern region of Nigeria which poses a great challenge for the authorities to curb, a controversial Islamic cleric and retired army captain, Sheik Ahmed Gumi seems to have a way out.
In Gumi's view, the federal government should "Use the bad to fight the ugly, and use the good to fight the bad ones when you’re done with the ugly."
Gumi over time has played a controversial role of always negotiating for the bandits and on several occasions advised the authorities to negotiate with the bandits in what he called a "peace process" aimed at reforming the bandits.
According to The Nation, Gumi was reported to have had a phone conversation with The PUNCH reporters last week in light of the abduction of 200 Islamiya school children in the Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State.
He was quoted as saying: “We are always trying to do our best, but you see, you need two hands to shake. You know these people (bandits) need engagements from the government itself. If you dialogue with them without the involvement of the government, it is a problem.
“Government needs to be proactive with them. We have a lot of them that are ready to fight the bad ones. Use the bad to fight the ugly, and use the good to fight the bad ones when you’re done with the ugly. Look at Boko Haram, who finished Shekau? Was it not the splinter group? So, it is easy.”
Sheik Gumi believed what happened to Boko Haram terrorist group leader Shekau, who was reportedly killed by rivals in May, could happen among the bandits but what we do not know is if Shekau is truly dead as his death has been announced too many times.
According to him, “All these agitations you see, if the government can do a splinter group and the splinter group is empowered, every man wants power and money, they will do your job. There are many ready to submit themselves. All the ones you see me meeting in the bush, they are all telling us, ‘we are ready.’”
However, The Nation described Gumi’s suggested solution as simplistic. Reported that Gumi wants "the authorities to abdicate their security responsibility and allow state-sponsored bandits to act on behalf of the government concerning security."
"He also wants the government to negotiate with bandits, which would suggest state incapacity and send a wrong message to criminals."
"It is laughable that he thinks there are “good” bandits who would help the government get rid of the “bad” ones after those ones have eliminated the “ugly” ones. This is simplism, pure and simple."