Controversial Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has questioned the reluctance of government officials to directly engage Boko Haram insurgents and bandit groups, drawing comparisons to past high-level engagements with Niger Delta militants.

In a social media statement, Gumi recalled how former President Goodluck Jonathan and former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo personally ventured into regional creeks to negotiate peaceful resolutions and establish developmental frameworks.

Highlighting past peace initiatives, the cleric noted, “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.”

Challenging the public backlash surrounding negotiations with armed non-state actors in the North-West and North-East, Gumi asked, “Who is going to visit BH and Bandits to tame them without fools castigating them?”

Maintaining his long-standing position on conflict resolution, the retired military officer argued that dialogue and targeted peace programs—rather than sole reliance on military action remain the most effective path toward ending widespread violence across northern communities.