….says ‘use of force can’t end insurgency in the North’
Popular Kaduna-based Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, says Federal Government’s use of force in the fight against insurgency in the North won’t yield the desired result or achieve peace.
Gumi, who was speaking in continuation of his five-day visit to bandits’ and Fulani settlements in Zamfara State, argued that the huge financial resources expended on the fight against insecurity in the region could have been used to address the needs of armed Fulani herdsmen.
According to him, “Such billions would be more than enough if judiciously used to address all the demands of the armed Fulani, including providing them with basic amenities, training them and providing them with the needed capital.”
The cleric said most of the Fulani herdsmen had lost virtually all their possessions to cattle rustling and extortion by some corrupt security agents.
But while touring the forest near Daki Takwas, he appealed to the Fulani herdsmen to lay down their arms and avoid bloodshed, assuring them of Governor Bello Matawalle’s sincere commitment to addressing their grievances.
Gumi further assured the Fulani herdsmen that he would convey their concerns and demands to President Muhammadu Buhari.
The cleric further assured the Fulani herdsmen that he would ensure that Zamfara State Government would not breach the agreement from either side.
Before embarking on his tour of the forest, Gumi and his team paid homage to the Emir of Gusau, Alhaji Ibrahim Bello, at his palace in the state capital, where he told the emir some of the grievances of the armed Fulani, including periodic attacks on them.
