Gumi called for dialogue with Boko Haram, the bandits, citing Niger Delta peace efforts

Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi renewed his call for dialogue with Boko Haram insurgents and armed bandits, arguing that the Federal Government should consider the same approach as that adopted to resolve Niger Delta militancy.

In a Facebook post on Saturday, Gumi questioned why government officials have not initiated direct engagement with armed groups operating in northern Nigeria, this is in line with peace efforts involving former President Goodluck Jonathan and former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in the Niger Delta.

Reflecting on the intervention, the cleric wrote: “Former President Jonathan visited the delta militants on the river, as did former vice president Osinbajo. They all came with programs to tame the militants.”

He argued that similar efforts should be considered for communities plagued by rebellion and banditry in North Korea, while lamenting what he described as public criticism directed at anyone advocating dialogue.

Asking a rhetorical question, Gumi said: “Who will visit BH and Bandit to tame them without some fool punishing them?”

For several years, Gumi has maintained that negotiations remain a viable strategy to end insecurity in the North West and North East regions. As part of his stance, he has visited camps occupied by armed bandits in states such as Zamfara, and said the meetings were aimed at understanding their grievances and pushing for a peaceful resolution.

The cleric has consistently stated that the dialogue-based model used to address militancy in the Niger Delta can also help reduce violence in northern Nigeria, arguing that military action alone will not produce lasting peace.

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But his position continues to divide public opinion. Although some Nigerians believe that his efforts have contributed to the release of kidnapping victims and opened channels for peaceful engagement, critics argue that such contacts risk legitimizing groups accused of kidnapping, murder and other violent crimes.

Gumi, a retired military officer, has repeatedly rejected accusations that he supports terrorism, insisting that his advocacy is focused solely on ending violence through dialogue, rehabilitation and reconciliation.

Nigeria’s Niger Delta amnesty program, introduced in 2009 under the administration of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and later supported by President Goodluck Jonathan, resulted in the disarmament of thousands of militants through a package of vocational training, monthly allowances and reintegration initiatives. This program is considered capable of reducing attacks on oil installations and increasing security in oil-producing areas.

Jonathan’s involvement in resolving the Niger Delta crisis began earlier, in 2007, when he served as vice president. He traveled to the river Warri, Delta State, without armed escort to meet the former militant leader of the Ekpemupolo Government, known as Tompolo. Jonathan later said that this involvement helped lay the foundation for the amnesty program.

Years later, in 2017, Acting President Yemi Osinbajo also embarked on a series of visits to Niger Delta communities, where he met with militants, traditional rulers and other stakeholders. He defended the outreach efforts by saying that those in the river were Nigerian citizens who had legitimate concerns and deserved to be involved, not just viewed from a security perspective.