Kaduna-based cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has insisted that engaging terrorists in dialogue is neither unbiblical nor un-Islamic, adding that governments around the world routinely negotiate with armed groups when necessary.
Speaking in an interview with the BBC published on Tuesday, Gumi said the claim that authorities should never negotiate with terrorists has no foundation in religious teachings or real-world practice.
“When people say negotiation with terror is forbidden, I don’t know where they get that from. It’s not in the Bible, it’s not in the Quran, and it doesn’t reflect global practice,” he said.
Gumi, who for years has advocated dialogue with bandits operating across northern Nigeria, argued that talks are often the most effective path to ending violence.
“We negotiate to secure peace and protect strategic interests. If negotiation will end bloodshed, then it is the right thing to do,” he stated.
He pointed to the United States’ engagement with the Taliban in Qatar as an example, stressing that many countries have held discussions with non-state armed groups.
“Everyone negotiates with bandits or outlaws in one form or another. The U.S. had an office dedicated to negotiating with the Taliban. So where does this idea of ‘no negotiation’ come from?” he asked.
Gumi has repeatedly criticised calls for the military to aggressively confront bandit groups, describing the armed men as people who can be reasoned with. He has also urged the government to consider amnesty programmes similar to those previously offered to Niger Delta militants.
Despite multiple peace initiatives, however, bandit attacks have persisted across several northern states, including Zamfara, Sokoto, Kaduna, Katsina, Yobe, Kogi, Niger, and Kwara, with frequent killings and mass kidnappings for ransom.
Several dialogue efforts undertaken by state governments in recent years have failed to secure lasting peace in the affected regions.
