Gumi offers to negotiate with bandits to rescue abducted students

A popular Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has offered to negotiate with bandits who kidnapped hundreds of students from Kuriga Government Secondary and LEA Primary Schools in Kaduna State.

Gumi wants President Bola Tinubu to allow him to dialogue with the bandits to facilitate the release of the kidnapped students and their teachers.

The cleric, however, warned the president not to repeat the mistake of his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, who refused to negotiate with kidnappers.

Gumi said this in his reaction statement to the latest episode of school abduction in the North, saying it is his religious duty to lead the dialogue between bandits and the government for the sake of peace.

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The cleric said, “The government’s stand of no negotiation with the bandits is an unfortunate position. My advice is that the government should dialogue with the bandits not only for these Kuriga school children’s abductions but all cases.

“Also, the government should use the same approach it used in releasing passengers that were abducted on the Abuja–Kaduna train in 2022 to release the Kuriga school children and others.

“I am ready to lead a holistic dialogue between the government and bandits. It is my religious duty to do so for peace.

“I hope the present government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will listen by dialoguing with the bandits because the past administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari refused to do so.”

Gumi’s offer to dialogue with abductors of Kaduna students came days after gunmen invaded two schools in the state, shooting at the schools’ premises before leading over 280 students and their teachers into the forest.

The incident happened 24 hours after insurgents kidnapped 200 internally displaced women in Borno State.