A popular Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Gumi, during an interview with The Punch correspondent, addressed the issues of banditry and terrorism in the country.
When he was told during the interview that the rate at which the bandits and terrorists kill and kidnap Nigerians is on the increase presently, particularly in the northern region of the country, despite the Federal government spending billions of Naira to combat insecurity.
When he was responding to this, Gumi said no matter how costly the drugs you give to patients are, if they are not the right ones, the patients won’t get better. Sometimes, the correct drug might be very cheap, but instead, an expensive and ineffective one is given. In this situation, Gumi alleged it’s important to first figure out what the real problem is, especially when it comes to issues that are affecting the youth.
He said, “We must understand that these individuals are all young, whether they are Boko Haram or bandits; you will never see an old man among them. There is a social reason associated with all these disturbances, and there is also a lack of respect for leadership.”
Further talking, he said, “The Federal Government must look at the root cause of this problem and start to apply the right formula to solve it.
Spending trillions on ammunition and militarisation when the problem is social will yield no results. This will only compound the issue, leading people to become radicalised and turn to militancy.”