Why I say make Nigeria negotiate wit bandits - Sheikh Gumi

Islamic Cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi don deny say e don make contact wit bandit groups since 2021 and afta Nigeria govment declare dem a terrorist organisation.

Inside exclusive interview wia e ansa questions about im links wit bandits, why e dey speak for dem and dia role for di insecurity wey Nigeria dey battle wit currently, Gumi maintain im belief say Nigeria modern military no fit defeat di bandits and say negotiation wit dem na still di best way forward.

For years, Sheikh Abubakar Gumi wey be medical doctor an ex-military man bin don maintain say violence no be di solution to stop di bandit palava. Im stance dealings wit di bandits in di past don make pipo see am controversially as 'bandit sympathiser and spokesperson'.

E tell BBC for inside exclusive interview say: "Wen dem say we no dey negotiate wit terrorists, dat word I no know wia dem get am from. E no dey Bible and e no dey Quran, infact e no even dey in practice becos everybody dey negotiate.

America bin get office wia dem dey negotiate wit di Taliban for Qatar, everybody dey negotiate wit outlaws, non-state actors. We dey negotiate for peace and our strategic interests if e go stop di bloodshed." Gumi tok.

For di interview wit BBC Gumi tok about di last time e interface wit dem, who di bandits be and wetin dem want.

E answer questions around allegations say im interactions wit di bandits dey ginger dem and dey sabotage state authority plus why e believe say Nigerian military no fit win di war against di bandits.

'Nigeria military no fit win di war against di bandits'

Nigeria dey go through tough time wit di insecurity issue dem dey face wey make President Bola Tinubu to recently make major changes for di military leadership and to declare nationwide security emergency,

Di aim na to deal decisively wit di cause of di insecurity, but Gumi repeat wetin im bin don tok before say negotiation wit di non-state actors wey dey ginger dis kasala na di way to go.

"We need robust army, di military di military dey strong and dem dey hold di nation now. E dey good and dem need to de equipped, trained and ready but even di military dey say our role for dis civil unrest, dis criminality na 25% kinetic, di rest na di govment, di politics, di locals, di military no fit do everytin.

For wia you see say military win guerrilla? Nowia." Gumi tok.

'Di last time I make contact wit bandits na for 2021'

One of di criticisms against di sheikh na say im advocacy for di govment and di bandits to come to di negotiating table dey make dem bold and dey go against di state authority.

But e deny am say no be so, according to Gumi, di height of im dealings wit di bandits na for 2021. E say everytin bin dey open as im bin dey always enter di forests to tok to di bandits wit authority including di police, local authority and members of di press.

"I no ever go dia alone.

Na for 2021 wen I bin dey try and see how we fit get dem togeda. But unfortunately di govment of dat day, di federal govment bin no dey interested. Dem declare dem terrorists and since dat time we don disengage totally from every contact wit dem." E tok.

'Kidnapping children na lesser evil dan killing sojas'

Over di years Sheikh Gumi don make controversial comments about how to end banditry and di bandits dia methods and why dem dey do wetin dem dey do.

One of dem na for 2021 wen e speak about di kidnapping of school children.

Part of wetin e bin say na: "Kidnapping children from school na a lesser evil because in di end, you fit negotiate and now bandits dey very careful about human lives."

Wen we ask am if e still maintain dat view especially in di face of recent kidnappings of school children, from Kebbi State and Niger State e say yes and no.

"I tink part of am dey correct and part of dat dey wrong, saying kidnapping children na lesser evil dan sojas, definitely e dey lesser, but all of dem dey evil, e just dey lesser. All evils no dey di same." E tok.

'Bandits be Fulani herdsmen wey dey fight existential war'

Banditry for Nigeria, don move from earlier farmer-herder conflicts to attract criminal elements.

E don grow from local issues wey involve cattle rustling, kidnapping, and extortion, to become a major security crisis.

Sheikh Gumi believe say di bandits wey dey terrorise di north west and wey don move to as far as to attacking and kidnapping for some states also for di south west be "Fulani herdsmen" wey dey fight wetin e call "existential war" sake of dia livelihoods wey dey threatened.

"Dem wan exist. Dia live immemorial na on cattle rearing. So dem know wia to graze dia cattle and take care of dia cattle, dat na dia life."