Kaduna-based Islamic cleric Ahmad Gumi has said he would support the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and other armed groups, including jihadist factions and bandits, if they are prepared to abandon violence and enter negotiations with the Nigerian government.
Speaking in a recent interview, Gumi revealed his engagement with armed groups is premised on dialogue rather than force, insisting that talks offer a pathway to peace if combatants are willing to lay down their arms.
He insisted that this willingness extended to the (IPOB), which seeks secession from Nigeria, as well as to Islamist militants and criminal gangs operating across parts of the country.
“Dialogue can bring peace, and we are men of peace. Even IPOB, which wants secession, if they are ready to put down their arms and come to a round table to discuss, I am ready and would support them. What we do not want is violence,” he said.
The cleric also claimed that federal authorities are aware of the identities and locations of those behind violent attacks, adding that his mediation efforts are conducted alongside state security agencies.
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“The government knows every terrorist by name and location,” he said.
Furthermore, he stated that his negotiations have involved the police, the military and other security bodies, and that he has previously entered forest hideouts, including accompanying women, during peace efforts.
Gumi criticised what he described as a gap between official statements and government action, arguing that Nigeria’s security crisis requires broader thinking beyond military force.
He stated that the country’s challenges were rooted in poor infrastructure and weak social services, listing dilapidated roads, erratic and expensive electricity, fragile healthcare and a struggling education system as drivers of insecurity.
According to him, experts estimate that most responses to insecurity should be non-military, raising questions about heavy defence spending when basic amenities remain inadequate.
Among the groups he has previously referenced in dialogue efforts is Boko Haram, which has waged a deadly insurgency in the north-east for more than a decade.