Controversial Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has said that herdsmen involved in criminal activities depend on banditry to sustain their operations.
Naija News reports that Gumi made the statement during an interview on AIT, where he spoke on efforts to end insecurity through amnesty and negotiations with bandits.
He argued that pastoral communities have long faced neglect, claiming that successive governments have failed to address their challenges or modernise their livelihoods.
According to him, no part of Nigeria’s budget has been specifically dedicated to improving the welfare of herdsmen. He also stated that bandits do not live in luxury, adding that some of them survive under harsh conditions and even drink from streams.
Gumi further claimed that if those involved in banditry abandon criminal activities, they would lose access to the funds used to sustain what he described as their “war machinery.”
He said, “We are under pressure to fight the government. The government that has helicopters is bombarding us. So remove the pressure, the need for the money is there.”
In a related development, Gumi also cautioned against any involvement of the United States in Nigeria’s fight against terrorism, warning that foreign intervention could worsen the country’s security situation.
He maintained that Nigeria’s sovereignty must be protected and argued that the military is capable of handling insecurity if guided by proper rules of engagement, transparency, and fairness.
Gumi added that external military intervention could escalate violence and potentially attract international extremist groups into the country.
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