Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has stirred fresh reactions after saying that kidnapping schoolchildren is a “lesser evil” compared to killing soldiers, adding that Nigeria has no choice but to sit with bandits if it wants the killings to stop.
In an interview with the BBC shared on Tuesday, Gumi didn’t defend kidnapping but argued that it is not on the same level as murder — especially when victims are later released.
“Saying that kidnapping children is a lesser evil than killing your soldiers, definitely is lesser. Killing is worse than, but they are all evil. It’s just a lesser evil. Not all evils are of the same power,” he said.
Gumi pointed to previous mass kidnappings, including in Kebbi State, saying the attackers released the hostages without killing them. “So it’s a lesser evil than, like, what happened in Kebbi. They abducted children, and they were released. They didn’t kill them,” he added.
His comments come as the country is still dealing with the abduction of over 315 people — 303 students and 12 teachers — in Niger State. The Federal Government later confirmed that 100 of the students had been released, while about 50 others reportedly escaped days after the attack.
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When asked what message he had for parents whose kids are still in captivity, Gumi didn’t say much: “It’s an evil, and we pray that they escape.”
Gumi also stood firm on his belief that negotiating with bandits is the only realistic way to save lives, arguing that even governments across the world talk to non-state actors.
“That word [‘we don’t negotiate’], I don’t know where they got it from. It’s not in the Bible. It’s not in the Quran. In fact, it’s not even in practice.
“Everybody’s negotiating with outlaws, non-state actors, everybody. So who got it, and where did they get that knowledge from? We negotiate for peace and our strategic interests. If negotiation will bring stoppage to bloodshed, we will do it.”
He also clarified that his previous interactions with bandit groups weren’t shady or done behind closed doors.
“I go there with the authorities. I don’t go there alone. And I go there with the press,” he explained.
Gumi said his last direct meeting with bandit leaders was in 2021. He claimed he tried to bring different factions together but the then-government “was not keen” on his efforts. Once the groups were labelled as terrorists, he said he backed out completely.
Speaking on Nigeria’s wider security challenges, Gumi argued that the military can’t carry the entire burden.
“We need a robust army… but even the military is saying our role in this civil unrest, in this criminality, is 95% kinetic. The rest is the government, the politics, and the locals. The military cannot do everything,” he said.
He also stressed that most bandits are Fulani herdsmen not urban Fulani and that their fight is tied deeply to survival and cattle.
“They are fighting an existential war… Their life revolves around cattle. In fact, they inherit them. They’ll tell you, ‘This cow I inherited from my grandfather.’ They are mostly Fulani herdsmen, not the Fulani town, because you have to differentiate between the two,” he said.
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