Insecurity: FG Should Fund Factional Bandits To Stop Abductions – Gumi

• “Use the bad to fight the ugly, and use the good to fight the bad ones”

An Islamic cleric, Sheik Ahmad Gumi, says one of the ways the federal government can address frequent mass abductions of school pupils is to sponsor warring bandit groups.

Gumi said some bandits are ready to put down their weapons and dialogue with the government, he implored federal government to listen to those willing abandon their nefarious ways as they could be useful in countering the activities of the “ugly ones”.

Gumi said this in the wake of the abduction of 200 Islamiyya schoolchildren in the Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State.

“We are always trying to do our best, but you see, you need two hands to shake. You know these people (bandits) need engagements from the government itself” Gumi told PUNCH in an interview “If you dialogue with them without the involvement of the government, it is a problem”

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Gumi alluded to the death of factional leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, who was killed by splinter group, to corroborate his point.

“Government needs to be proactive with them. We have a lot of them that are ready to fight the bad ones. Use the bad to fight the ugly, and use the good to fight the bad ones when you’re done with the ugly. Look at Boko Haram, who finished Shekau? Was it not the splinter group? So, it is easy.

“All these agitations you see, if the government can do a splinter group and the splinter group is empowered, every man wants power and money, they will do your job. There are many ready to submit themselves. All the ones you see me meeting in the bush, they are all telling us, ‘we are ready.’”