Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has asserted that the Nigerian military lacks the capacity to defeat bandit groups through force alone, arguing that negotiation is the only realistic path to ending the escalating insecurity in northwest Nigeria and beyond.

In an exclusive interview with the BBC, Gumi noted that even modern armies worldwide struggle against guerrilla fighters, and Nigeria is no exception. “But even the military says that in dealing with this civil unrest and criminality, only 25% is kinetic action; the rest depends on the government, politics, and local communities. The military cannot do everything,” he said. “Where have you ever seen the military defeat guerrilla fighters? Nowhere.”

His comments come as President Bola Tinubu’s administration implements sweeping security reforms, including changes in military leadership and a nationwide emergency aimed at dismantling violent groups responsible for kidnappings, extortion, and rural attacks.

Gumi also addressed allegations that he maintains contact with bandit leaders. He insisted that he has not engaged with these groups since 2021, the year the federal government officially designated them as terrorists. “I never went there alone. It was in 2021 when I was trying to see how we could bring them together. But the government at the time was not interested. Since then, we have completely disengaged from all contact with them,” he said.

Despite criticism that his advocacy emboldens armed groups and undermines state authority, Gumi maintained that negotiating with non-state actors is standard global practice. “When they say we don’t negotiate with terrorists, I don’t know where they got that from. America had an office negotiating with the Taliban in Qatar. Everyone negotiates with outlaws if it will stop bloodshed,” he said.

The cleric characterized the armed groups in the northwest—and increasingly in other regions—as largely “Fulani herders” engaged in what he described as an “existential war” to protect their traditional livelihoods. “They want to exist. That is their life. They know where to graze and how to care for their cattle,” Gumi said, noting that the conflict has evolved from local farmer–herder tensions into broader criminality.

Gumi has faced public backlash in the past for his engagement with bandits and controversial remarks, including his earlier claim that kidnapping schoolchildren is a “lesser evil” than killing soldiers.