Renowned Islamic cleric, Sheik Ahmad Gumi has declared that it is easy for him to meet with bandits than to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari.
Gumi was quoted to have made the submission by the spokesman of Northern Elders’ Forum, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed.
According to him, the cleric said this while speaking on insecurity in Nigeria at a recent stakeholder’s summit where he noted that he has made several efforts to meet with the President to discuss the country’s security situation but all has been futile.
Truetells Nigeria reports that Gumi has become a known face in interacting and negotiating with bandits in order to find a lasting solution to the challenges of banditry and kidnapping in Nigeria.
Baba-Ahmed wrote: “Today Sheikh Dr Abubakar Gumi told Northern Peoples Summit in Kaduna how he spent months meeting bandits, and many more months on fruitless efforts to meet and advise President Buhari on how to tackle the scourge. He said it is much easier to meet bandits than meet the President.”
Today Sheikh Dr Abubakar Gumi told Northern Peoples Summit in Kaduna how he spent months meeting bandits, and many more months on fruitless efforts to meet and advise President Buhari on how to tackle the scourge.He said it is much easier to meet bandits than meet the President.
— Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed. (@baba_hakeem) April 7, 2021
Meanwhile, a former US ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell, has revealed the reason the United States Government will not support Nigeria in its war against terrorism and banditry.
Speaking on Friday at the maiden edition of Grow Nigeria Conversation in Abuja, Campbell said the US govt will only offer technical and financial support to Nigeria until the government addresses alleged human rights abuses by the military and other security agencies.
He asked the Muhammadu Buhari led-government to do its best to restore public confidence in the security forces, especially the police.
Campbell, however, said US laws strictly prohibit the American government from providing technical expertise to security forces accused of human rights violations.
According to him, the allegations pose “a huge barrier to a more cordial relationship between the US and the Nigerian security forces”.