Renowned Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has told the Federal Government that declaring bandits’ groups as terrorists’ organisations would not end aggression against the Nigerian society.
In a response to The Star, Gumi said the declaration will not change anything; it will not change the dynamics.
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja had on Friday declared the bandits’groups as terrorists’ organisations.
Consequently, the Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, declared that with the declaration the Federal Government is ready to crush the bandits.
But, the cleric said that the declaration of bandits’ groups as terrorist organisations won’t address the problem.
He said with the declaration, the Federal Government has succumbed to media blackmail.
Gumi noted that before the declaration, the bandits are being fought by the Nigerian troops as terrorists.
Gumi said: “Declaring the herdsmen banditry as terrorists is just a decision taken for political expediency. I think the federal government has succumbed to media blackmail by a section of the country. It will not have any practical value because even before the declaration they are being fought and treated as terrorists.
“So, it is just a nomenclature which I believe will not change the dynamics on ground. If you can remember IPOB was also declared a terrorist organisation, the declaration was even backed by the order of the court but as you can see even the international community did not recognize FG’s declaration of IPOB. So it has failed to be effective or to achieve the desired results.
“They have not been ban from travelling to other countries while their citizenship remains intact, it has not been denounced. So, what type of declaration is that? I sincerely hope that Nigerians will not take the herdsmen as terrorists but should regard the criminality of the few among them against innocent people as acts of terrorism just as we see IPOB and their attacks on security agencies and other northern citizens as acts of terrorism. Very few herdsmen are bandits if you go through their population.
“I hope this declaration will not give the license to people to be profiling herdsmen in general as terrorists and taking laws into their hands against them. It will cause more mayhem. The declaration will not change anything, it will not change the dynamics. Already the military is engaging them. It didn’t stop them from kidnappings and killings. The declaration will not end their aggression against the society.
“The Fulani banditry is a socio-economic problem. We have seen it, we interacted widely with them. We told the federal government the way out. It can only be won through engagement, dialogue and justice.
“That is why today there is relative peace in the Niger Delta because government have accepted the painful reality of rehabilitating and empowering them. There has to be equitable distribution of wealth in Nigeria and justice for every one. People don’t want to accept it, before the issue of banditry that now affects all of us, the Fulani have suffered so much. They have lost their legitimate means of livelihood, I mean their cows through cattle rustling and extortion by security agencies. ‘That has to be addressed as a means of genuine reconciliation and integration. They should have sense of belonging.”
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