Popular Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi says it is untrue that the Federal Government does not know the location of bandits and criminal herdsmen.
He stated this on a Channels Television programme “Politics Today” on Monday.
The cleric was responding to a question on why it was relatively easy for him to locate bandits’ camps why the nation’s security forces seemed unable to do so.
According to him, the Federal Government knows their locations but chose not to deploy force as previous such attempts did not produce the desired result.
“They (government) know. They see them (bandits) by aerial view. But the military has learned its lesson.
“The first approach they had— when they go in and start killing— they realised is the wrong way and that they were producing a monster. They are now careful.
“The only element I am adding now is ‘look, don’t just wait and watch, go in and negotiate’,” Gumi said.
Read Also: Nigeria To Receive 4m Doses Of COVID-19 Vaccines – PTF
He emphasised that the bandits were not Boko Haram terrorists as believed in some quarters.
However, he warned that religious extremists were already infiltrating the bandits.
“We have to be very careful.
“If the pressure is too much, I am afraid they can be influenced by Boko Haram. We have seen the signs that Boko Haram is going to infiltrate them,” Gumi said.
Leave a Reply