Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has described the kidnapping of schoolchildren in Nigeria as a “lesser evil” compared to the killing of soldiers, stressing that negotiating with bandits is essential to prevent further bloodshed
In an interview with the BBC on Tuesday, Gumi acknowledged that abducting children is “evil” but argued it is less severe than murder, particularly when the 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 said, citing previous cases such as the mass abduction in Kebbi State, where victims were released without fatalities.
Gumi’s comments follow the recent abduction of more than 315 people in Niger State, including 303 students and 12 teachers. On December 7, the Federal Government announced the release of 100 students, while another 50 reportedly escaped earlier.
Asked what he would say to the parents of the abducted children, Gumi replied: “It’s an evil, and we pray that they escape.”
He defended his position that negotiating with bandits is necessary, saying: “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… If negotiation will bring stoppage to bloodshed, we will do it.”
Gumi emphasized that his engagements with bandits have always been conducted openly, with authorities and the press. He last met directly with bandit groups in 2021, attempting to unite different factions, but said the federal government at the time “was not keen” on the initiative. After the groups were officially designated as terrorists, he withdrew from direct contact.
On the broader security situation, Gumi argued that the military alone cannot resolve the crisis. “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.”
He also clarified that most bandits are Fulani herdsmen, not urban Fulani, noting that their struggle revolves around 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.”
Follow Us on Facebook – @LadunLiadi; Instagram – @LadunLiadi; Twitter – @LadunLiadi; Youtube – @LadunLiadiTV for updates
The thunder that will fire these people