Islamic scholar and security expert Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has once again called on the federal government to shift its strategy on national security, urging officials to negotiate with armed groups rather than relying solely on military force. In a recent interview, Gumi criticized the government’s “kinetic” approach, saying it has consistently failed to restore peace and only intensifies violence. He extended his call to include separatist groups, saying: “Even IPOB, who wants succession, if they lay down arms and negotiate, I will support them. We can’t keep buying guns while society burns.” Gumi argued that the billions of naira spent on military operations often fail to address the root causes of insecurity, noting that some funds end up enriching officers instead of curbing conflict. “If you give the military money, they will go and buy houses abroad. We need to break the cycle of using guns as a solution,” he said. Highlighting the shortcomings of current tactics, the cleric pointed out that eliminating Boko Haram leaders or launching raids on bandits has not weakened these groups, but rather made them more resilient and violent, worsening insecurity across the North-East, North-West, and South-East regions. Gumi also criticized the government’s spending priorities, insisting that trillions spent on defense could instead be invested in essential infrastructure such as roads, electricity, and education. “Electricity is erratic and very expensive. Roads are terrible. Nothing is working here. Spending that money on defense is just wasting resources,” he said, emphasizing that improving social infrastructure could have a longer-lasting impact on national security.
