Controversial Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has said he is willing to personally lead calls for a presidential pardon and amnesty for detained IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, if the separatist agitator “shows remorse and calls for peace.”
Gumi made the remarks on Tuesday during an interview on Channels Television, where he defended his long-standing position that dialogue — not force — remains the only sustainable solution to Nigeria’s worsening insecurity.
The Kaduna-based cleric insisted that he is not defending criminals, but advocating for Nigeria to adopt a pragmatic strategy that acknowledges the limits of military action in combating insurgents, bandits and armed non-state actors.
“I’m not advocating for them; I’m advocating for Nigeria, so that we can see how to tackle this menace,” he said.
According to Gumi, kidnappings and rural insurgency have now spread to almost every state, noting that recent abductions in Kwara and other parts of the country illustrate the scale of the crisis.
He criticised the Nigerian government’s reliance on a purely “kinetic” military approach, warning that no conventional army can outrightly defeat guerrilla fighters.
“With such a number of outlaws capable of destabilising Nigeria, you still want a military solution? Guerrilla warfare is not what our army is designed for; in fact, no army is designed for it,” he argued.
Gumi added that some armed groups are already willing to lay down their weapons, but the government’s rigid stance is prolonging the conflict.
Citing historical precedents, he referenced former President Shehu Shagari’s pardon of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu after the civil war, and President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s amnesty programme for Niger Delta militants.
“Nnamdi Kanu was imprisoned for terrorism and inciting attacks on soldiers. If Kanu were to show remorse and sincerely call for peace, I would be at the forefront of advocating for his pardon and amnesty,” he said.
Gumi maintained that national reconciliation, not brute force, is necessary if Nigeria hopes to restore peace.
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