Ahmad Gumi, a Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, says the kidnapping of schoolchildren is a “lesser evil” when compared to the killing of soldiers, arguing that Nigeria must engage bandits in dialogue to prevent greater loss of life.
Speaking in an interview with the BBC, excerpts of which circulated on Tuesday, Gumi acknowledged that abducting minors is “evil” but insisted it is less grievous than murder — especially in cases where victims are eventually released unharmed.
“Saying that kidnapping children is a lesser evil than killing your soldiers, definitely is lesser,” he said. “Killing is worse… but they are all evil. Not all evils are of the same power.”
The cleric pointed to previous mass abductions, including one in Kebbi State, claiming that hostages were freed without fatalities. “They abducted children, and they were released. They didn’t kill them,” he said.
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Gumi’s remarks come amid the latest mass kidnapping in Niger State, where more than 315 people — among them 303 students and 12 teachers — were taken by gunmen. The Federal Government announced the release of 100 students on 7 December, while another 50 reportedly escaped earlier.
Asked what message he had for the families of the remaining captives, Gumi said only: “It’s an evil, and we pray that they escape.”
The cleric also defended his long-standing position that negotiating with bandits is essential, arguing that engagement with non-state armed groups is both practical and widespread.
“Everybody negotiates with outlaws… So, who got [the idea] that ‘we don’t negotiate’? We negotiate for peace and our strategic interests,” he said. “If negotiation will bring stoppage to bloodshed, we will do it.”
He emphasised that his interactions with bandit groups were conducted openly and in the company of security officials and journalists. According to him, his last direct mediation effort occurred in 2021, but government interest waned, and he withdrew completely once the groups were officially designated as terrorists.
Turning to Nigeria’s broader security challenges, the former army captain warned that the military cannot single-handedly resolve the crisis. “We need a robust army… but even the military is saying our role in this civil unrest is 95% kinetic. The rest is the government, the politics, and the locals. The military cannot do everything.”
Gumi also reiterated that most bandits are rural Fulani herders rather than urban Fulani communities, describing their militancy as an “existential” struggle tied to cattle rearing and survival.
The cleric’s comments highlight the ongoing debate over how best to confront Nigeria’s worsening insecurity, especially across the northwest, where mass kidnappings, bandit raids, and deadly attacks remain frequent despite repeated government assurances of improved security.
