Controversial Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has declared that the Nigerian military cannot defeat bandits through warfare, insisting that negotiation remains the only realistic approach to ending insecurity in the North-West.
Naijaonpoint reports that Gumi, who spoke during an interview with the BBC, argued that conventional armies around the world struggle against guerrilla fighters and that Nigeria is facing the same challenge.
According to the cleric, ongoing military offensives, though necessary, cannot deliver total victory against bandit groups whose operations are fluid and embedded within local communities.
Quoting military authorities, Gumi said: “But even the military says that in dealing with this civil unrest and criminality, only 25% is kinetic action; the rest depends on the government, politics, and local communities. The military cannot do everything.”
He further questioned the global success rate of military campaigns against insurgent groups, saying: “Where have you ever seen the military defeat guerrilla fighters? Nowhere.”
Gumi’s comments come at a time when President Bola Tinubu has issued fresh directives to security agencies to ensure the immediate and safe release of all abducted victims across the country.
The President also asked security operatives to intensify collaboration with state governors to secure the release of hostages and curb the rising wave of attacks by terrorists and bandits.
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