Popular  Islamic Cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, said the bandits he had dialogues with in the past have repented and stopped kidnapping.

 

Gumi has been a voluntary negotiator, having series of dialog with bandits and calling on the Federal Government of Nigeria to grant them amnesty.

 

In a recent interview with Roots TV, the cleric insisted that the current perpetrators of kidnapping, are those who he did not dialogue with.

 

“All those we met, all of them have stopped being involved in this kidnapping. The ones doing it now are rogue ones who we did not sit down with,” Gumi claimed.

 

He regretted the Federal Government’s decision on non-negotiation with bandits, adding that such decision stalled the negotiation processes.

 

“Our processes were arrested and stopped by the authorities, which is not interested in it” he said.

 

He mentioned that he has been a victim of banditry.

 

“My very close relative…One of the life time driver of my father. His son — a soldier – eleven of them were ambushed and killed.

“So, I am a victim of banditry. Then, should I seek revenge and more and more soldiers will die or do I forgive so that most souls will be saved?”

“So, I think it is logical… It is better to stop the more killings and have peace ” Gumi said.