By Deborah Nnamdi
Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has said he would join calls for the pardon and release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, if Kanu demonstrates genuine remorse and commits to peace.
Kanu was convicted on seven counts of terrorism by the Federal High Court in Abuja. Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday, Gumi insisted that a non-kinetic approach remains the most viable way to address Nigeria’s worsening insecurity.
“This Kanu that was imprisoned for terrorism for agitating that our soldiers should be killed—if this same Kanu now will show remorse and also call for peace, honestly, I will be in the forefront in calling for his pardon and amnesty,” he said.
The cleric cited past precedents, including President Shehu Shagari’s amnesty for Chukwuemeka Ojukwu and the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s amnesty programme for Niger Delta militants, arguing that reconciliation has historically helped stabilise volatile regions.
Gumi, a long-time advocate of dialogue with armed groups, questioned why authorities continue to rely heavily on military force when some groups are willing to disarm.
“Even America could not succeed in Afghanistan, even Israel could not succeed in a small strip of land. Our army is not designed for guerrilla warfare… If you have people ready to put down their arms, why must it always be kinetic?” he asked.
He said many Fulani herders were open to peace talks and argued that opportunities for engagement had previously existed with groups like IPOB and Boko Haram.
His remarks come amid a surge in violent attacks across the country, including mass abductions of schoolchildren and worshippers in several states. Although President Bola Tinubu has ordered security agencies to pursue the perpetrators, critics say the government’s response remains inadequate.
