Controversial Islamic cleric Ahmad Gumi has questioned why government officials have not engaged Boko Haram terrorists and armed bandits in peace negotiations, as previous administrations did with Niger Delta militants.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, Gumi recalled how former President Goodluck Jonathan and former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo visited militants in the creeks to broker peace agreements. He noted that both leaders entered the militants’ strongholds and returned with initiatives aimed at ending unrest in the Niger Delta.
“Former President Jonathan and former Vice President Osinbajo both visited the creeks and returned with programmes to curb militancy,” Gumi wrote. He then posed the question of who would be willing to visit Boko Haram and bandit groups in northern Nigeria to negotiate peace, without facing public criticism. “Who is going to visit BH and bandits to tame them without fools castigating them?” he asked.
For years, Gumi has advocated dialogue with armed groups in Nigeria’s North-West and North-East, visiting bandit camps in Zamfara and other states to hear their grievances. He has repeatedly argued that negotiation, rather than military force, resolved the Niger Delta crisis and should be considered for the north as well.
Gumi’s stance has attracted both support and criticism. Some Nigerians accuse him of legitimising armed groups responsible for kidnappings, killings, and cattle rustling. Others credit his interventions with helping to secure the release of kidnap victims. The retired army officer has consistently denied backing terrorism, insisting his efforts are aimed at ending bloodshed through dialogue and rehabilitation.
The Niger Delta amnesty programme, launched in 2009 under the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and continued by Jonathan, led to thousands of militants being disarmed in exchange for training, stipends, and reintegration support—dramatically reducing attacks on oil infrastructure in the region.
Jonathan first intervened in the Niger Delta crisis in 2007 as vice president, entering the creeks unaccompanied by armed security to meet ex-militant leader Government Ekpemupolo (Tompolo) in Warri, Delta State. Jonathan later said that meeting laid the foundation for the amnesty programme, which remains in effect today.
In 2017, Osinbajo, as acting president, also toured Niger Delta communities, engaging directly with militants and traditional leaders. He defended the outreach by saying those in the creeks were citizens with legitimate grievances, not merely security threats.
