Kaduna Governor, Sani Speaks On Gumi’s Involvement in School children’s Release
The Governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani, on Sunday, revealed that Muslim cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, was not involved in the release of abducted Kuriga pupils. Sani revealed this days after Gumi offered to negotiate with bandits for the release of the pupils. The governor while speaking on Channels TV, said all the 137 schoolchildren abducted on March 7, 2024 from the Chikun Local Government Area of the state by bandits have been rescued by the military. According to Sani, the rescue mission was carried out by the military in collaboration with local authorities from neighbouring Zamfara State, where the hostages were moved by their kidnappers. The governor described as speculations, talks in some quarters that ransom was paid, stressing that Gumi was not involved in the rescue of the pupils. Sani said, “All those speculations you are hearing today are figment of some people’s imagination. I can tell you that without any fear of contradiction. There was nothing like Gumi in this operation. I can tell you. I won’t undermine the efforts of our Armed Forces.”
More Attacks Imminent Unless Nigerian Government Negotiates With Bandits – Sheikh Gumi
Kaduna based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has re-emphasized the need for the Nigerian government to dialogue with bandits in order to stop incessant attacks on innocent citizens. The cleric stated that there is no military solution to end the insecurity problems Nigeria is currently facing. Speaking during an interview session with AriseNews TV on Friday morning, the Islamic scholar insisted that persistent military attacks on the terrorists were responsible for their latest lack of sympathy on Nigerians they abducted. He admonished the Nigerian government should emulate how the United States’ government negotiated with the Taliban terrorists by also having a dialogue with the bandits to prevent the insurgence in the country. “This thing (banditry) is turning into something else. We are turning them into monsters, more monsters as what they are. They are ignorant, they don’t have direction, they don’t have leadership, they don’t have empathy now because of the way we treat them too, we don’t care when we burn them,” he said “When we burn their children and women, in fact this very recent incident is just a tip of an iceberg; what has been happening in the bush, until we change our tactics and allow people who know, these politicians, I am tired of them. “I was a military man myself, but I don’t think there is a military solution, in fact I think it is humiliating military to think that the military should take care of civilian insurgency, what we need is a very good detective work, very good policing, very good social programme. We should leave our military off these issues. Our military knows fire for fire and these people do not have the fire power, they hide behind the civilians and do whatever they do. So don’t let us humiliate and disgrace our military. This is not their job, this is the job of politicians. This is the job of the police, this is the job of intelligence. “In fact I believe no ransom should be paid, I believe that but engage, engage these people. Give them hope. But not only in these children’s cases, be holistic. I heard when one military man said it is turning into a war, I am so sad to see that they are now realising that it is turning into a war. It has been war since, it has been ethnic war, it’s been class war, it is not just more than criminality. We have to accept that. “If we can see Israel and Hamas exchanging prisoners, I don’t see why we can’t negotiate. If Americans can negotiate with the Taliban, I don’t see why we can’t. They (foreign governments) can’t impose on us their own ideas when behind the door, they also negotiate with these terrorists.”