Sheik Gumi: Why Insecurity Persists In Nigeria

Sheik Ahmad Abubakar Mahmoud Gumi has given reasons why the prevailing insecurity in the country has persisted despite efforts by successive administration to end the malaise.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Sunday Telegraph, Gumi said successive administration have failed to adequately make use of non-kinetic approach, insisting that only kinetic approach cannot end the menace of insecurity in Nigeria.

He also noted that the belief that the military can crush the bandits and other criminal elements was not true, adding that even the military has agreed that the fire power alone was not enough to eliminate them and called on government to dialogue with the bandits to end the menace.

He said; “We think these are people (bandits) we can just crush in one day and kill. They don’t know that it’s not possible. If you cross the aisle, go to their side, and listen to their grievances and see, then you will see that it is either we sit down with them and chart a course for them, or we leave them to the enemy of the nation to capitalize on them and destroy us.

“But military is not the solution. Boko Haram is almost going to 14, 15 years and I can categorically tell you, bandits are more dangerous than Boko Haram. Why are they more dangerous? Because you are fighting him in his own house, the dwellers of the forest. That is their house. Now, if you want army to fight in jungle warfare, you have to take them to course to understand how to fight in the jungle.

“This one is living already in the jungle. Not only that, what they don’t know, a small Fulani herdsman can carry 100 cattle or more from Kaduna to Anambra without compass. They all know the ways. So, map reading, geographical locations, hideouts, they all know in their head, not through compass. So, if you want to fight them in guerrilla warfare, which armies generally are not designed and fashioned to fight guerrilla warfare.

“America could not do that in Afghanistan for 20 years. America could not do that in Fallujah in Iraq. America cannot do that. Now, Israel is still fighting Hamas. It’s just killing innocent civilians. But the Hamas are there. If you tell Hamas to come out, you will be so surprised when you see the population.

“Guerrilla warfare is not for the army. So since we bear the brunt, we are here, I am in the eye of the storm. I cannot wait for government or wait for some analyst, some armchair critic to analyse the situation and take action. No. I must do what I can. I involved the government by calling the securities, informed the army, informed the police and everybody, let’s go and listen to these people and we went.”

He also noted that Kaduna State has made headway in that regard, saying the quickest way is to make it holistic. “You know, Kaduna State has achieved some success in Birnin-Gwari axis. So, we don’t just want Kaduna State. We want holistically all the herdsmen. Their welfare should be taken care of, one, be pardoned. Compensation given to their victims.”

According to him, if the government is serious, they know what to do, adding that, “I’m happy when I heard about the livestock ministry. What remains now is the funding and giving them the jurisdiction to go into the issues of the herdsmen.”