Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi declared the Nigerian military incapable of defeating bandit groups through force alone, advocating dialogue as the sole resolution to northwest insecurity in a BBC interview on December 9, 2025. He likened bandits mostly Fulani herdsmen in an "existential war" over grazing to unbeatable guerrillas worldwide, stressing military kinetic action covers just 25% while politics and communities handle the rest. Gumi rejected past contacts since 2021 terrorist designations, noting failed government engagement then.
Gumi defended negotiation as global norm, citing U.S.-Taliban talks in Qatar and dismissing "no talks with terrorists" as unbiblical or un-Quranic, despite backlash over his 2021 remark labeling school kidnappings a "lesser evil" than soldier killings which he partially retracted as all evils unequal. He blamed farmer-herder clashes evolving into crime on livelihood threats.
His push challenges President Tinubu's security overhaul amid kidnappings and reforms, reigniting debates on amnesty risks versus bloodshed halt in bandit-ravaged zones.