A renowned Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, says there would have been tremendous success if more Islamic scholars had been deployed to preach to bandits in the northwestern part of Nigeria.
Gumi made this assertion in a post on his official Facebook page on Wednesday.
He said the results of such sustained engagement could potentially complement and, in some cases, reduce the need for a predominantly kinetic approach.
According to him, only a few people seem to understand that many of the bandits are themselves products of the same ignorance, deprivation and social neglect that have allowed the crisis to flourish.
“Since 2021 up until now, almost six years since we began preaching to bandits, one cannot help but imagine what could have been achieved if many credible Islamic scholars had been systematically deployed to engage bandits across the North-West.
“The aim is to teach the bandits the sanctity of human life, the inviolability of people’s property, and the Islamic prohibition of killing and oppression.
“People are the victims of their own prejudice,” he wrote.