Politics

BREAKING: Bandits are going Nowhere – Shiekh Gumi declares

Prominent Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has declared that bandits currently troubling the northern part of Nigeria “are going nowhere”.

According to Gumi in a post on his known Facebook page on Monday morning titled’ ‘Zamfara: The Flaring Of Crisis’, military action against criminal herdsmen and bandits will not solve the security challenge, but “will only worsen the situation”.

The controversial Islamic preacher was reacting to the recent perceived military success over bandits at Zamfara forests.

Read Gumi’s full post below:

ZAMFARA: THE FLARING OF CRISIS

{… كُلَّمَا أَوْقَدُوا نَارًا لِلْحَرْبِ أَطْفَأَهَا اللَّهُ وَيَسْعَوْنَ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَسَادًا وَاللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُفْسِدِينَ} [المائدة: 64]

Meaning:
“ … Every time they kindle the fire of war, Allah doth extinguish it; but they (ever) strive to do mischief on earth. And Allah loveth not those who do mischief.”

“Zamfara state is unique in many aspects. In early 2000 AD the state ignited a wildfire of states constitutional amendments that accommodated the application of sharia law beyond personal law (i.e. marriages, divorce, and inheritance) to include the Islamic criminal law. It was well received by the local populace with eleven other northern states adopting it. However, it goes without saying, that the international community ruled by leaders that are promoting sodomy and lesbianism in the garment of secularism were at the forefront of fighting it. In a short time, it became political and fizzled away.”

“If such shariah implementation move had concentrated in literacy and economic empowerment the kind of which we see in Saudi Arabia, with its rich resources, Zamfara would have become a shining example of the blend of a religiously modern state proud of its development and modesty. Unfortunately, it turned out to became the den of criminality and instability in the region.”

“From the blues, in 2009 cattle rustling became rampant. Most of the cattle rustled were headed to the south in trailers where they are sold and slaughtered. This massive movement of rustled cattle greatly reduced their population. Most of the rustling first affected the rural herdsmen and it became more elaborate in the north-western region.”

“Herdsmen were left with only one of three options. To join the rustlers or pay tribute to rustlers for protection or lose their cattle. In 2014, the military ‘intervention’ in the Birnin-Gwari Forest to fight cattle rustling changed the headsmen into a resistance movement as many innocent Fulani Ruga settlements were murdered, men, women, and children in hundreds.”

“By 2015, banditry has replaced cattle raring that is becoming nearly impossible. Drugs were introduced into the herdsmen that are known to be illiterates or semi-illiterates. The reaction of the town local vigilantes (a natural reaction to any communal aggression in self-defence) pitched the herdsman against the local rural helmets, villages, and adjacent towns to the forests as they are lynched and maimed when whenever they enter markets. Therefore, everybody became an enemy and a target. Fulanis and other tribes, Muslims and non-Muslims were equally kidnapped for a ransom most of which goes to buying weapons.”

“Profiling of Fulani herdsmen became another motivative factor of more resistance and more kidnappings which has now led to their metamorphosis into the monster the nation is facing today.”

“We should also know that because of their educational status and lack of an effective unified leadership they have faced untold hardship at the hands of authorities where they were extorted and stereotyped. It has been imprinted in the psyche of nomadic pastoralists that the authorities and their town dwellers are ‘evil people’ that should be resisted because they have no place to secure justice for their cases no matter how innocent they may be.”

“With their acquisition of weapons, they realized how easy it became to be masters of their abode the forest, where no authority can venture into. This has emboldened them to further attack people for more ransoms to sustain their newfound reality.”

“Now with the prodding of the government to take more military actions of an already ugly situation whereby they were left to amass weapons, a huge military budget that is almost draining the economy to a standstill in the purchase of fighter aircrafts and conducting military operations in the region has become to the authorities in their calculations a necessity.”

“Unfortunately, this is no solution or wisdom. When you don’t have the monopoly of the instruments of violence, then dialogue has the monopoly of resolving the conflict. This is what the UN is all about. i.e., Roundtable resolution of conflicts. What we are seeing is more than just criminals and criminality, yes it may have started as such but like any conflict, it is dynamic.”

“The danger we face now is ideological demagogues changing the narrative. They are trying hard to infiltrate the herdsmen. And we know their objectives. They want to destroy all modern governments by fighting the military and now in the recent cajoling of local populations, they have tormented before to join them in the struggle.”

“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. Its common sense that if you allow your neighbors 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 destabilize the region, pauperize and even depopulate it.”

“Military actions in the past have worsen the situation stimulating herdsmen resistance. Any more action will push them closer to religious fanaticism. It gives them protection from discrediting them as thieves and also reinforce their mobilization of gullible young unemployed youth as we saw with BH.”

“I have met many of the bandit leaders to see a way out of this gridlock. I have talked to the political class and security agents. Except for an exception, most state governors want a peaceful resolution of the conflict. The Police and other security outfits have also realized the enormity of the problem. But, unfortunately, the presidency for what appears to be political gullibility and the military for budgetary reasons as they are the most beneficiary of conflicts of this nature doesn’t seem to be on the same page.”

“This conflict can be resolved by active engagement of the government with the agitators. Just as we saw how ENDSAR agitation was swiftly managed after an initial scandalous failed military confrontation, was peacefully resolved by the government, likewise, the herdsmen crisis can be.”

“Just as we had the Niger delta conflict resolved with an amnesty which comes with reconciliation, reparation, and rehabilitation packages, so will the herdsmen crisis be resolved. In fact, there is a need for a Marshal plan to educate the nomadic pastoralist so that no citizen is left behind.”

“These measures I enumerated are cheaper, easier, and lasting than the kinetic approach which is now taking place. No military especially of a poor economy can win guerrilla warfare. The recent victory of the Taliban in Afghanistan is a factual warning for those that contemplate.”

“Lastly, I pay tribute to my late relative, Private Sanusi Salisu Gumi, who lost his life with 10 other colleagues in an ambush by Bandits in Zamfara forest in November 2019. We learned about his death when an acquaintance recognized his body in the Gusau mortuary. Rahmatullah Alaihi and all those who died defending us. Amin.”

8 Comments

  1. His suggestion sounds reasonable, question is how could a whole country be thinking of dialogues with killers while we have the military that can quench the rubbish if there are no sabotaging?. If this is done,,,pampering criminals, then system of such is breeding future ones.Criminals in Nigeria of today are political while most of our politicians are criminals.

  2. Activities of killer herdsman, banditry and Boko collectively are Terrorist. The Activities of these groups has create so much hardship in the Land.
    The Activities of these group has will continue to discourage investment in Nigeria as well as continue killing of innocent citizens and economic hardship.

    If the Activities of these group not checkmate, Nigeria could be heading to a path of destruction which will affect us all.

    Giving any favour to these group to lay down their arn will encourage another type of group to emerge and terrorised us and vicious circles continue.
    We have to check mate this gang now. Zero tolerance approach is best.

    How do we checkmate them? Senate need to make Death penalty to all the Activities of these groups.
    A no nonsense approach is best solution. Why compensate these terrorists or spend so much money taking care of them instead of death penalty.
    The money save adopting death penalty can be use to compensate their victims. Security apparatus should be realign plus death penalty will be a formidable deterrence.

  3. It is very regretting for a whole Islmic cleric like Sheikh Gumi to come vividly and condemn the ongoing military action against banditry. He wrongly quoted a verse from the Holy Quran that was wrongly applied by the Sheikh himself. The Sheikh has forgotten all the efforts in the previous years when these activities are being nursed. All peaceful efforts made to calm down the situation prove abortive because of the rudeness of this criminals. Instead the peacefully effort made them to feel that they more stronger than the government. Monetary action also has played a role but all effort can’t pay; else by weakening and disarming them before peaceful talks begin, this is the nature of any Tyrant seeing his himself above the law even in Islam. If the Sheikh could recall what has happen between SAW and the Jews of Banu Nadir: it was a peaceful reconciliation that prophet SAW first applied to them, but seeing what they attempted to commit made SAW to avenge by taking military action before they bow down. .

  4. Gunmi, we know banditry is your source of livelihood and we realise you’re a terrorist yourself. What we people are saying is that they dont have to come to other people’s lands in that country. The can stay with you in your territory. As Nigeria is a lawless country, where criminals like you have a say in public affairs without being brougt to book.

  5. Oga u are talking trash, are you try to compare ENDSARS failled agitation to banditry or BH? Do you even understand the aim of BH and bandit?
    You talked about the north with upholding the Sharia law but left it for Western Civilization. And you dare compare the blind Nigeria formula of dealings to Saudi Arabian well structured formula of dealings.
    Let me ask you a questions, how many alahmajiris do they have in Saudi Arabia compare to northern Nigeria? which has spread to other states as we speak.
    You want law and order in a region that you and other elite class in the North has intentionally decided to make majority of children poor and homeless so that they can be your tools of destruction.
    If you like keep talking. all I know is that any animal that been trained to feed on blood and enjoy the taste of blood will never stop craving for blood.
    Let me inform you. In 2012 when BH was still at his prime. And when there was no reliable sponsors to his agitation. They resulted to looking for a way to get finance that was how a fraction of BH was created with the sole aim of banditry in order to finance it’ movement.
    Then, there was another problem of who will patronize them that was why the south and west came into play. In EDO state precisely. Some prominent chiefs in state started owning cows in their hundreds yet nobody cared to ask them how they come to get such numbers of cow in such a short period of time.
    To cut the whole story short,
    If a man wares a cap and there fire on it and his does not see the need remove it. The first place the fire will reach is his head, from there it get to other part of the body. Isha Alah you and those you love shall be consumed by that same fire you saw and knew how to extinguish but u did not.
    You also talked about dialogue, Oga I know you were not born yesterday if I’m not mistaken you are as old as this country if not older. In 2013-2014 do know how times president Goodluck Jonathan called for dialogue but to no avail Before he them called them faceless people? I know this present administration are confused as well as to what to do and when.
    If the course of islamisation if the nation is Alahs will then it will be then but if not, BH and bandit will sink the entire north down. They will only try to infiltrate sauth, East and west, but The God we serve will give us the chorage to stand and defend our own.

  6. These man should be arrested,these are killers and thieves nothing more ,its. Wrong to pay people for there atrocities these will only encourage others to carry arms and do same for how long should we watch our loved ones killed raped enough is enough on gumi he should be put in watch list for he is a threat to Nigeria

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