Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, an Islamic cleric, has told the Nigerian government to rethink its decision not to talk to terrorists. He says that talking may be the key to ending the country’s long-running violence.
The Kaduna-based cleric said in a Facebook post on Wednesday that Nigeria is being affected by a “Western slogan” that doesn’t always reflect reality.
He said that talking, not just using force, could help end the cycle of attacks that are happening in many parts of the country.
Gumi also said that poor border control is making the situation worse by letting criminals and weapons move around freely.
He says this has made it harder to stop terrorism and keep people safe.
He talked about the ongoing tensions between the US and Iran and said that even powerful countries negotiate even when they don’t want to. He told Nigeria to learn from these kinds of things.
He said, “The Western slogan ‘We don’t negotiate with terrorists’ should not fool us.”
Gumi said that violence often makes things worse for civilians because both terrorist attacks and military operations tend to hurt innocent people.
He went on to say, “The cycle of violence will continue as long as Nigeria’s borders are open.”
The cleric stressed that knowing the root causes of terrorism is important for finding long-term solutions and warned that force alone cannot end the crisis.
He said, “The lesson is clear: lasting solutions need more than just force; they need realism, dialogue, and strategic understanding.”
Gumi said that Nigeria might need a neutral third party to help start talks and ease tensions, like what has been done in other places where there is conflict.
