Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has advocated a six-month amnesty programme for terrorists and bandits, saying the government should prioritise negotiations and rehabilitation alongside military operations in tackling Nigeria’s security crisis.

Gumi made the proposal in a video circulating online, where he questioned the effectiveness of relying predominantly on military force to defeat armed groups responsible for killings, kidnappings and other violent crimes across the country.

The cleric said that if he were president, he would provide a six-month window for terrorists and bandits to surrender their weapons and abandon violence.

“If I’m the president, I will announce that I’m giving a six-month amnesty window for all the terrorists and bandits to put down their weapons,” he said.

Gumi argued that Nigeria should develop a security strategy suited to its peculiar circumstances rather than depend entirely on international approaches to dealing with armed groups.

He maintained that dialogue should not be ruled out simply because the government categorises the opposing groups as terrorists.

“You negotiate. You negotiate with Taliban, you negotiate with Hamas, you negotiate with everybody where you have problems. Why can’t we negotiate with them?” he asked.

Beyond disarmament, Gumi proposed a rehabilitation programme centred on education and economic empowerment, particularly for the children of members of the armed groups.

According to him, providing access to schools and legitimate livelihoods could help prevent young people in affected communities from being recruited into criminal or extremist groups.

“Most important, when you do that, entice their children to education. Build schools for them,” he said.

The cleric also suggested that resources currently allocated to military hardware could be redirected towards programmes aimed at addressing the socio-economic conditions in communities affected by insecurity.

Using the reported cost of a $5 million aircraft as an example, Gumi argued that similar funds could be invested in providing livelihoods for former combatants after rehabilitation.

“Let me tell you, $5 million, keeping a lot of them busy after the rehabilitation with cows would have gone a long way to end insecurity in Nigeria,” he said.

Gumi further invoked a previous attempt by former President Olusegun Obasanjo to establish dialogue with Boko Haram insurgents, saying Obasanjo personally travelled to Maiduguri, Borno State, during the early years of the insurgency.

According to him, Obasanjo met leaders associated with the group and secured an understanding that they would lay down their arms, but the initiative allegedly failed to receive the necessary government backing.

“General President Obasanjo told me himself, at the early stage of Boko Haram, he went to Maiduguri himself, met with leaders of Boko Haram. They agreed to lay down their arms,” Gumi said.

“He came back, the government was reluctant to take action, and he was bitter about that,” he added.

Obasanjo had previously confirmed that he visited Maiduguri in 2011 as part of efforts to initiate dialogue with Boko Haram and persuade its members to abandon insurgency.

The former president’s engagement reportedly included members of the family of Boko Haram founder Mohammed Yusuf and other figures linked to the insurgency.

The group had presented demands including an end to the arrest and killing of its members and the prosecution of police officers accused of killing Yusuf.