What Exactly Are We Negotiating With Them?—Rev. Hayab Queries Gumi’s Call to Negotiate with Bandits

The Chairman of the Kaduna State Chapter of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev Hayab, has questioned the proposition by controversial Kaduna-based Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, to negotiate with bandits to tackle insecurity, according to The Sun.

The clergyman insisted that Gumi should keep his idea of negotiation even as he asked what exactly the government would be be negotiating with the renegades.

According to him, Nigerians shouldn’t be fooled by Gumi’s antics. He questioned the Islamic cleric’s moral justification to continue to advocate negotiation with the terrorists when one of his very close and trusted allies is currently on trial for allegedly financing terrorism.

Rev. Hayab insist that rather than negotiate with the bandits, the government should use it might against them, otherwise some other groups might spring up and wreak more havoc than the current one because someone like Gumi will tell us to go and negotiate with them.

He said:

“What moral justification does Gumi have to still talk about negotiation while his closest ally in the process of negotiation was found to be culpable?

What exactly are we negotiating with them? The law of the land is supposed to show them that they are criminals.”