Northern Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has defended his visits to terrorists and bandits, insisting that his engagements are neither covert nor undertaken without the knowledge of the authorities.
Speaking at the 2025 Southwest Muslims Ulama Summit at the University of Ibadan, the Kaduna-based cleric said he has long been misrepresented by the media and segments of the public, despite what he described as his efforts to understand the roots of insecurity.
Gumi said his outreach missions are aimed at opening channels for education and rehabilitation among armed groups that have operated across several northern states.
“When I go, I go with the police. I don’t go alone. I go with the government. It’s not a one-man machine. I carry everybody along,” he told the gathering of scholars.
He argued that Nigeria’s deepening insecurity is driven by years of neglect, illiteracy and unemployment, saying that many herders became isolated from society due to a lack of access to basic education and communication.
“The basic reason is lack of education and unemployment. These are the two evils,” he said.
Gumi illustrated his point with a stark analogy, suggesting that even a small group of people left in the bush with cattle for a year, cut off from learning and interaction, would return “mooing like a cow.”
“If you don’t give man education, you’ll get nothing,” he said.
The cleric said his decision to engage directly with armed groups was borne out of a desire to “see the source of the insecurity,” establish communication and create pathways for reintegration, but that his approach has been widely misunderstood.
“In trying to go there and establish contact with them, and open channels for them to get educated, then it became a problem.
“Whenever you hear of Gumi, then I have a barrage of attacks coming at me, all because of this misrepresentation,” he said.
Gumi insisted he now has a better understanding of the frustrations Muslims in the Southwest face when misrepresented, adding that he felt aligned with the issues raised at the summit.
“I don’t understand Yoruba, but I can understand from the vibration of the voices that we are saying the same thing,” he said.
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