Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, a Kaduna-based cleric, has advised Nigerian government to ask terrorists what they want, warning that military attacks on terrorists cannot resolve terrorism.
The cleric, in a Facebook post on Wednesday, said military onslaught against terrorists will trigger them to unleash more violence on vulnerable civilians in retaliation.
“When terrorists are targeted, they often retaliate by attacking the most vulnerable populations—the very people the government is meant to protect.
“Conversely, when the government intensifies its military response, civilians frequently suffer as collateral damage. Thus, the same group ends up bearing the consequences from both sides.
“A common question is: What do these terrorists actually want?”, the Kaduna-based cleric said.
Gumi, an advocate of dialogue with terrorists, said asking terrorists “what they want” lies at the heart of the issue—and misunderstanding it is one of the gravest mistakes people make.
“Without understanding the root causes of terrorism, any attempt to combat it risks being misguided. One must first comprehend the origins and motivations before designing an effective response. What violence creates, violence alone cannot resolve,” he stated.
The cleric made this call, citing dialogue between the U.S. and Iran as a premise for his advocacy for dialogue with terrorists.
In recent years, Gumi has advocated for amnesty for terrorists, comparing them to Niger Delta militants who were granted amnesty by the late former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s government.
