Crime
287 Chikun Abduction: Nigerians react as Gumi offers to dialogue with bandits
Nigerians on social media have continue to react to comments made by controversial Kaduna based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Gumi over the recent abduction of 287 children from Kuriga Government Secondary and LEA Primary Schools in Chikun Local Government Area of the State.
Reacting to the refusal of the Kaduna State government to negotiate with the bandits Gumi urged President Tinubu not to repeat the mistake made by former President Muhammadu Buhari, who refused to dialogue with bandits.
“The government’s stand of no negotiation with the bandits is an unfortunate position. My advice is that the government should dialogue with the bandits not only in these Kuriga school children abduction cases but in all cases.
“Also, the government should use the same approach it used in releasing passengers that were abducted on the Abuja-Kaduna train in 2022 to release the Kuriga school children and others.
“I am ready to lead a holistic dialogue between the government and bandits. It is a religious duty for me to do so for peace.”
“I hope the present government of President Bola Tinubu will listen by dialoguing with the bandits because the past administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari refused to do so.” the cleric stated.
However, Nigerians on microblogging platform X (formerly Twitter) have expressed concerns over the cleric’s offer to negotiate the release of the abducted school children.
In his reaction to Gumi’s offer, X user and social media influencer, Omo Kogi (Yagba) asked “Are you thinking what I am thinking 🤔? This GUMI guy is always very confident talking about the negotiations with kidnappers and bandits, is there something he knows that can’t be unraveled by Nigerian intels? Cos the confidence at which he speaks on these negotiating things”
Clinton Nelson (@NelsonClin22787) said “Something is fundamentally wrong somewhere.”
“How is this man able to get access to these criminal elements so easily but the Nigerian government could not. It still baffles me oo” Uche Emeghara (@emeghara) asked rhetorically.
Sheikh Ahmad Gumi having a meeting with armed bandits
Expressing his concerns, another X user, Stardudefire (@stardudefire) tweeted, “This man is always coming out to talk about dialogue with bandit and the government will still not call him to answer some questions.”
“It’s only in Nigeria that we would have criminals turning celebrities and no one will do nothing about it.” a bewildered Arinzechukwu (@Zona_big) said.
Chronicle NG had reported last week that armed men suspected to be bandits kidnapped 287 school children from Kuriga Government Secondary and LEA Primary Schools in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
