Muslim cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has offered to dialogue with bandits who abducted about 287 schoolchildren from Kuriga Government Secondary and LEA Primary Schools in the Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna state.
He also said he would be ready to negotiate with others to end insecurity in every part of Nigeria, if given the opportunity.
Gumi who made the offer, urged President Bola Tinubu not to repeat the mistake of former President Muhammadu Buhari, who he claimed, refused to dialogue with bandits.
The offer was made in the heels of confusion and uncertainty over the number of thr abducted school children and further abduction of school children in same Laduna and other parts of the country within the week.
Bandits had last week, invaded the Kuriga area of the Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, shooting at their victims before taking away at least 280 of the pupils and teachers from both schools.
The incident occurred barely 24 hours after insurgents abducted 200 internally displaced women in Borno State.
The women were kidnapped in Ngala, the headquarters of Gambarou Ngala in Borno State, while fetching firewood in the bush.
Also another 60 persons were abducted in the same Kaduna State.
Before then, gunmen had invaded the Gonin-Gora in the same Chikun LGA and took 16 persons, prompting residents to barricade the Kaduna-Abuja Expressway in protest against the abduction of the people.
The bandits are demanding the sum of N40 trillion, in addition to 11 Hilux vans and 150 motorcycles, to release the 16 captives.
Not much is known on efforts by the Kaduna State Government in negotiating with the bandits to release the school children.
However, reacting to the development, Gumi said in a statement, “the government’s stand of no negotiation with the bandits is an unfortunate position.
“My advice is that the government should dialogue with the bandits not only for these Kuriga school children’s abductions but all cases.
“Also, the government should use the same approach it used in releasing passengers that were abducted on the Abuja–Kaduna train in 2022 to release the Kuriga school children and others.
“I am ready to lead a holistic dialogue between the government and bandits. It is my religious duty to do so for peace.
“I hope the present government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will listen by dialoguing with the bandits because the past administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari refused to do so.”
