Sheik Gumi Meets Bandits In Zamfara Forest, Sues For Peace

A popular Islamic Scholar, Sheikh Dr. Aimed Abubakar Mahmoud Gumi, has visited some bandits in the forests of Shinkafi and Gunmi local government areas of Zamfara State.

The visit of the Islamic scholar to the camp was to spread the message of Islam and peace to the Fulani herdsmen and set free the country from kidnapping and banditry, The Punch reported.

Gumi and his entourage had earlier visited the forests of Tubali and Makkai in Shinkafi LGA which were being controlled by armed Fulani herdsmen.

At Tubali forest settlement, the cleric was said to have met with about 150 armed Fulani who expressed their grievances and why it would be difficult for them to surrender their arms.

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The chairman of the Shinkafi council was reported to have said before the peace agreement with the bandits that there were frequent and rampant cases of kidnappings on Shinkafi-Gusau road with rampant attacks with a record of heavy casualties. He added that presently, the council had spent seven months without a single attack.

The bandit commander, identified as Bello, said, “Let the killings of our loved ones by security agents without due process of the law stop, as well as cattle rustling that denied most of us legitimate means of livelihood.”

At Makkai Forest, the religious leader and his entourage met with more than 600 bandits armed with automatic rifles.

According to the report, their top commander, one Kachalla Turji, welcomed the Sheikh.

As it was in Tubali, the bandits in Makkai expressed frustration over the government’s attitude towards them.

The Sheikh said, “Let there be peace; you all have a legitimate concern and grievances, and I believe that since the Niger Delta armed militants were integrated by the Federal Government and are even in the business of pipelines protection, the Federal Government should immediately look into how something like that will be done to the Fulani to provide them with reasonable means of livelihood including jobs, working capitals, entrepreneurship training, building clinic and schooling.”