Islamic cleric questions government reluctance to negotiate with insurgents
Islamic cleric Ahmad Gumi has publicly questioned why the Nigerian government refuses to negotiate with Boko Haram and other bandits. He cited historical precedents where past leaders successfully engaged with Niger Delta militants to broker peace.
Why it matters
The debate over whether to negotiate with insurgents or pursue purely military solutions remains a central point of contention in Nigerian security policy.
Islamic cleric questions government reluctance to negotiate with insurgents - Businessday NG
Islamic cleric questions government reluctance to negotiate with insurgents
Islamic cleric Ahmad Gumi has questioned why no government official has visited Boko Haram terrorists and bandits to negotiate an end to their violence, drawing a comparison to how past leaders engaged Niger Delta militants. He made the comparison in a Facebook post on Saturday, recalling how former President Goodluck Jonathan and former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo both visited militants in the creeks to broker peace. Gumi noted that both leaders had, at different times, gone into the creeks to meet militants and had returned with programmes designed to end the militancy in the region. “The former President Jonathan visited delta militants in the creeks, so also the former vice president Osinbajo. They all came up with a program to tame the militants,” he wrote.
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