Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has renewed his appeal for the Federal Government to consider granting amnesty to Boko Haram members and bandits involved in killings and abductions across Nigeria.
Gumi, who has repeatedly pushed for dialogue with armed groups, described those rejecting the idea of amnesty as misguided, insisting that similar approaches had been used in the past to address militancy in the Niger Delta region.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, the cleric cited the actions of former President Goodluck Jonathan and ex-Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who he said engaged Niger Delta militants and introduced programmes aimed at ending unrest in the region.
“Former President Jonathan visited militants in the creeks, and the former Vice President Osinbajo also did the same. They introduced programmes to control the situation,” Gumi stated.
He questioned who would be willing to engage Boko Haram insurgents and bandits in order to end their activities without facing criticism from opponents of the idea.
Gumi has previously called for negotiations and amnesty for criminal groups terrorising communities, arguing that dialogue could help restore peace.
The cleric has also criticised some international military actions against terrorists in Nigeria, including the killing of ISIS-linked commander Abu Bilal Al-Minuki in Sokoto State, and accused the United States of having a history of violence.