Gumi’s Strange Attacks on Critics of Bandits

BRIEFINGNOTES

Presidential Spokesman, Mr. Femi Adesina last week became the latest victim of the Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, in his sustained attacks on those who condemned bandits in the country, Ejiofor Alike reports

Kaduna-based Islamic cleric and self-styled spokesman of the bandits terrorising several parts of the country, Shekh Ahmad Gumi, has for some time been engaging in relentless campaigns for amnesty for the bandits terrorising the country.

He also frequently attacks those who criticise bandits. A case in point was when he appeared on ARISE NEWS Channel recently, where he called journalists criminals for describing bandits as criminals.

For a group that has caused many families pain, hardship and sorrow by destroying their homes, killing them, raping women and abducting children for ransom, many had expected that Gumi would show empathy instead of glorifying them. But this is rather not the case.

Last week, Presidential spokesman, Mr. Femi Adesina became his latest victim.

Gumi last week lashed out at Adesina after the presidential aide called him a bandit-lover, though Adesina did not mention his name.

Adesina was reacting to the statement credited to Gumi that the military offensive would not work and that the bandits “are going nowhere.”

“Let us face the reality, these herdsmen are going nowhere, and they are already in battle gear, and we know our military very well, so before things get messy, we need cold brains to handle this delicate situation. It’s common sense that if you allow your neighbours to be your enemy you are already conquered. Because they can easily be used against you by other forces as we see now the herdsmen are ultimately used to destabilise the region, pauperise and even depopulate it,” Gumi reportedly said.

In his reaction, Adesina said: “A bandit- lover in on record as saying a military offensive would not work, and that the bandits ‘are going nowhere.’ True? False. They are going somewhere. And that is: Hell.”

Reacting to Adesina’s statement in an article posted on his verified Facebook account, Gumi said, “You bootlicker that called me a bandit-lover! I am not one, but my country-lover, my region-lover, my state-lover, and my people-lover, and humanity-lover.”

He argued that only “a fool will allow his dwelling to be a theatre of war”

Gumi claimed that he is not a bandit lover but his consistent publicity campaign for these criminals and his attacks on those who condemned them point to the contrary.

Zamfara State Governor, Mr. Bello Matawalle, had engaged bandits in his state in dialogue but his amnesty failed to end banditry.

Matawalle had since encouraged military actions.

Kaduna State Governor, Mr. Nasir El-Rufai had also disagreed with Gumi, insisting on military actions against the criminals.

Niger State Governor, Mr. Abubakar Sani Bello, is also opposed to dialogue with bandits.

The Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Aminu Masari also last week admitted that he was wrong to have granted amnesty to the bandits.

To governors Masari, El-Rufai, Bello, Matawalle and other Nigerians, bandits are criminals.

But to Gumi, they are victims of cattle rustling and other societal ills and should be granted amnesty, compensated and rehabilitated.

By Gumi’s position on banditry, traders who lost their goods in market demolition and graduates who could not be given jobs by the government should go into armed robbery and other criminal activities because of the ‘injustice’ they suffered.

Gumi had once described the Nigerian Press as “criminals” for their consistent reporting of the activities of bandits and describing the outlaws as criminals.

According to him, the bandits would refuse to surrender if the press continued to refer to them as criminals.

“You are emphasising on criminality, I don’t know. Even the Press (journalists) are criminals too because they are putting oil into fire. These people are listening to you, don’t address them as criminals if you want them to succumb,” Gumi had reportedly told ARISE NEWS Channel in February.

The cleric has become a self-appointed spokesman of the bandits, who has devoted his time and resources to defend their activities and put pressure on the government to grant them amnesty.

While the Department of State Services (DSS) was busy chasing the Igbohos of this world and claiming that they did not know the enclaves of the bandits, Gumi was busy visiting these criminals in their dens.

The respected cleric once admitted that security agencies knew about his visits.

In May this year, Gumi in his sustained efforts to defend and protect the rights of the bandits, advised the federal government to pay the N100 million ransom demanded by kidnappers of Greenfield University students to prevent the situation from degenerating further.

Gumi claimed that Boko Haram was responsible for the kidnap and not bandits.

His words: “The money they are asking for is too much; if I give you that money, you cannot run away with it. Nobody can run. So, why not give them the money, they release the boys and then we pursue them and get our money back and do what is necessary; it is simple logic. So, bring the money from the central bank. How can they move that money? We should not be stupid.

“These people are getting infiltrated; Boko Haram is getting close and they don’t respect the clergy. I need support to get them inoculated against the infiltration of these ideologies, whether Boko Haram or Ansaru, whatever it is. We need to shield them because they are naïve. If there is too much pressure on them, and they see help from Boko Haram, who are richer and have more weapons, it is going to consume everybody.”

Gumi claimed that giving bandits N100 million ransom was the best way to track them but he was visiting these outlaws with the knowledge of security agents.

In February this year, he raised the alarm that bandits were raising funds from ransom to buy anti-craft weapons.

The cleric reportedly said, “These people were the first victims of cattle rustling, who lost all their cattle to rustlers because then, the rustlers had the guns. When they lost their cattle, they joined (the rustlers) and started to kidnap people.

“In fact, most of the kidnappings, they (the bandits) are doing it to acquire weapons. They are now trying to buy missiles, anti-aircraft missiles. This is already developing into a full-blown insurgency, and we should stop that. And what we are afraid of is that if they become religiously radicalised, it will be tough to control. You see what Boko Haram has become.

Of course, the federal government and security agencies ignored his warning and chose to look the other way, the same way they ignored his visits to these bandits.”

On Monday, July 18, 2021, a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Alpha Jet aircraft, returning from a successful air interdiction mission between the boundaries of Zamfara and Kaduna states, came under intense enemy fire which led to its crash in Zamfara State.

It took divine grace and sheer gallantry for the pilot, Flight Lieutenant Abayomi Dairo, to survive the attack.

Now that Gumi has made another revelation that banditry would continue despite all the military actions, the federal government should fish out these bandits and their sponsors and bring them to book.

Since the cleric has demonstrated beyond all doubts that he knows much about bandits, Nigerians have been wondering why the security agencies are not taking him seriously.