Controversial Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has asserted that herdsmen would not have a source of financing their war machine if they leave banditry.
PrimeTimes Nigeria reports that Gumi made the remark during an interview on AIT, while speaking on ‘Ending Insecurity; Amnesty and Negotiation with Bandits’.
Gumi said the herdsmen have endured a lot of hardship, with no government sitting down to look into their plight and modernise their lives.
Lamenting that no government has spent anything on herdsmen, Gumi stated, “Not one kobo of our Nigerian budget goes to them”.
According to the Islamic cleric, bandits are not living a luxurious life, stressing that they sometimes drink from the stream.
He added, “If they leave banditry, they won’t have a source of financing for their war machine.
“We are under pressure to fight the government. The government that has helicopters is bombarding us. So remove the pressure, the need for the money is there.”
Meanwhile, Gumi has warned against the involvement of the United States (US) in Nigeria’s fight against terrorism, saying such a move could worsen the country’s security crisis rather than solve it.
Gumi, in a Facebook post on Monday, said Nigeria must be careful not to compromise its sovereignty in the name of seeking foreign assistance to tackle banditry, Boko Haram insurgency and other forms of insecurity.
According to him, Nigeria’s sovereignty remains “a red line,” adding that the country’s military has the capacity to deal with the security challenges if its operations are guided by fairness, transparency and proper rules of engagement.
The cleric argued that foreign military involvement, especially from the United States, could turn Nigeria into a fresh battleground for international terror networks.
He warned that such intervention could attract foreign extremist groups into the country and expose Nigerians to a wider scale of violence.