NATION

If you call bandits criminals, I wonder who is not – Gumi

 

Sheik Ahmad Gumi, an Islamic scholar in the north, has restated his call for amnesty to criminals in the north. Gumi, who, lately, has been acting as go-between linking government and some criminal elements in the north, said the criminals, like coup plotters, deserve pardon.

“These people in the bush, who have taken arms; they are criminals. I wonder who is not a criminal”, said Gumi.

“Even those that instigated civil war, the civil war that millions of people died, were pardoned. I see no reason why we cannot accept their (bandits) repentance and give them amnesty.”

“You ask why do we give them amnesty but they told us specifically that they are ready to drop their arms and they don’t want to be pursued with legal actions after they repented.

“If the country could pardon coup plotters who committed treasonable offences in the era of military administration, the bandits can as well enjoy similar forgiveness even better under democratic rule.

“These people in the bush, who have taken arms; they are criminals. I wonder who is not a criminal. Since Nigeria forgave coup plotters, forgave those that killed. Even those that instigated civil war; civil war that millions of people died, I see no reason why we cannot accept their repentance.

“Since that is the bottleneck and it is only the Federal Government that can give them that leverage. Strangely, we found out that they are victims too. They were victims of profiling. So many of them were arrested and punished just for looking like herdsmen.”

Gumi was reacting to claims he betrayed soldiers of Christian faith before the criminals, otherwise called bandits, during his visit to them. He also said a video showing the purported betrayal had been distorted.

By Adedayo Adeyemo

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