Kaduna-based Muslim cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has expressed his willingness to engage in dialogue with the bandits responsible for the abduction of 287 schoolchildren from Kuriga Government Secondary and LEA Primary Schools in the Chikun Local Government Area of the state. Gumi made this revelation with the aim of facilitating the release of the abducted schoolchildren, contingent on President Bola Tinubu granting him the opportunity to negotiate.
In advocating for dialogue, Gumi cautioned against repeating the perceived mistake made by former President Muhammadu Buhari, who refused to engage in discussions with bandits. Gumi’s statement comes in the wake of the recent abduction of internally displaced women in Borno State and a separate incident in Gonin-Gora, Chikun LGA, where residents protested the abduction of an unspecified number of people.
The Kaduna state government has maintained a stance of refusing to negotiate with the bandits for the release of the schoolchildren and denied employing a private negotiator. Gumi urged the government to adopt a dialogue approach similar to the one used in releasing passengers abducted on the Abuja–Kaduna train in 2022.
Expressing his readiness to lead a holistic dialogue between the government and bandits, Gumi emphasized the importance of dialogue for peace and urged President Tinubu’s administration to consider engaging in negotiations. Gumi has previously been involved in negotiations with bandits on behalf of state governments to secure the release of abducted individuals.
In the past, Gumi’s efforts in seeking the release of kidnapped persons have been commended by some, with one parent of the kidnapped students in Kaduna State expressing gratitude for Gumi’s intervention in such challenging situations.
