Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, an Islamic cleric, has opposed using the military to put an end to civil society insurgencies. He drew attention to these bandit organizations’ lack of weaponry and propensity to operate among civilian communities.
He promoted a complete strategy that included strong policing, well-thought-out social services, and efficient detective work. In order to solve these problems collectively, he called for a shift in accountability toward the police, lawmakers, and intelligence services. He emphasized how crucial it is for these organizations to work together in order to successfully eradicate banditry in Nigeria.
A Former NHIS Boss, Professor Usman Yusuf who was part of the negotiation team that secured the release of the Kaduna train victim in 2023 had also argued that the war against banditry should be demilitarized. He stated that the military should be allowed to return to the barracks. He lamented that some Soldiers have not seen the barracks since their recruitment into the army. According to him, the fight to end banditry should be through dialogue with critical stakeholders.
He said in an interview with Arise TV, ”I’m tired of the military, I was in the military myself and I don’t think there is a military solution in all of this. I think it’s humiliating to think that the military should take care of civilian insurgency. What we need is very good detective work, very good policing, and very good social programs.
Let’s leave our military off this issue, these people don’t even have firepower. They hide behind civilians to do whatever they do. So let us not humiliate and disgrace our military. This is the job of the police, this is the job of the politicians and this is the job of the intelligence. Let’s get all these together so that we can circumvent these people.” .
