Popular Kaduna State Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi on Wednesday alleged that some Nigerian security operatives are involved in the banditry ravaging some parts of the North-West and North-Central.
According Gumi, who spoke in an interview with Arise TV on Wednesday, alleged that the security operatives are aiding banditry in the country, as it has become big business.
According to the cleric, who has consistently called for negotiations between the government and bandits, some “bad elements” in the security system are cooperating with the bandits.
He also maintained that the country’s security architecture was working with the bandits, explaining that some security operatives were caught in Zamfara and other parts of the country.
“How can these big weapons get across our borders into the forests without the cooperation of some bad elements in the security system? It’s not possible”, Gumi said.
The cleric called for a rejig of the country’s security system, noting that to fight banditry, there was a need to overhaul Nigeria’s security structure.
Speaking further, Gumi said it was time for the government to “put a bridge” for the bandits to “crossover and sit down with the authorities” in dialogue, to enable the release of the captives in the den of the bandits.
He also stated that the issue of banditry in the country was a tribal war, in which the government was not supposed to take sides, adding that the so-called bandits are Fulani herdsmen who had been victimized by people of other tribes, so they took up arms to protect themselves.
