Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has urged President Bola Tinubu’s administration to initiate peace talks with bandits.
This is even as the cleric drew parallels with the recent ceasefire and hostage exchange deal between Israel and Hamas.
Gumi, who made the appeal in a Facebook post on Monday, said the Nigerian government should take a cue from the United States–brokered truce, which he noted involved a group the West once described as “terrorists”.
He wrote: “Peace between Israel and Hamas they term as terrorists brokered by USA. Who said there is no peace with terrorists? Make peace with bandits and let us have peace.”
The cleric has repeatedly called for dialogue with armed groups operating in parts of northern Nigeria, arguing that a negotiated settlement would be more effective in restoring security than continued military action.