Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, an Islamic scholar, has maintained that talks with bandits are successful.
Gumi pointed out that since talks had previously been successful with terrorists in the Niger Delta, the government shouldn’t abandon them.
The controversial Islamic scholar wrote on his Facebook page that it is an unsuccessful battle.
He emphasized that there is no hint that the military’s battle against Boko Haram and bandits will end.
Gumi states: “They claim that negotiations are ineffective. It’s untrue. In Niger Delta creeks, it collaborated with militants. Instead, it’s an ineffective war—we’ve been battling BH for 16 years and bandits for 11. Doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome is foolish.
“When they hate, and you hate, they demonize, and you demonize, they get violent, and you become violent, the vicious cycle of violence begins.
We must all learn how to resolve conflicts through compromise and negotiation if we are to break it. The strategy needs to be founded on a moral, religious, and intellectual rejection of violence.
