Abduction: Negotiator Gumi Makes Fresh Moves

Sheik Ahmad Gumi has offered to negotiate the release of over 280 students abducted in Kaduna state recently.

“I am ready to lead a holistic dialogue between the government and bandits,” Gumi said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Islamic cleric made this offer amidst concern over the conditions of the abductees.

The cleric said the federal government must negotiate with the bandits who has demanded a huge ransom for the release of their victims.

The government appears helpless following reports that the bandits returned few days after to kidnap other persons in the state and neighbouring Sokot state.

Instructively, Nigerians are deeply worried that the insecurity in the country has taken a new turn, even though President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered security agencies to hunt down the terrorists, who, reports claimed were using the abductees as human shield to prevent them from being rescued by security forces.

Recall that Gumi became famous under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, after he successfully negotiated the release of many kidnapped victims on behalf of some state governments.

But he was later criticized following belief among some Nigerians that he may be working in cahoots with the terrorists.

The allegation was further strengthened following the arrest of his ally, Alhaji Tukur Mamu, by security agencies in March 2022.

Tukur, the publisher of the Desert Herald Newspaper was arrested on his way to the Lesser Hajj in Saudi Arabia by officials of the Department of State Services, DSS, who described him as a ‘person of interest’ in the war against terrorism.

He has since been charged to court.

Speaking on his readiness to negotiate the release of the abducted  287 schoolchildren from Kuriga Government Secondary and LEA Primary Schools in the Chikun Local Government Area of the state, Gumi stated yesterday that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should give him the opportunity to dialogue with the bandits.

He appealed to Tinubu not to repeat the mistake made by former President Buhari, who refused to dialogue with bandits.

His position followed the decision of the state government not to negotiate with the kidnappers.

The state government has also denied that it has hired a private negotiator to facilitate the release of the victims.

According to a statement, Gumi said he would also negotiate other victims who have been kidnapped in some states in the past few months, stressing that the government stand not to dialogue put the abductees in great danger.

He said “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.”

The cleric was believed to have played a critical role in the release of hostages of the infamous Abuja-Kaduna train attack March 2022.

Approximately 62 hostages were abducted by the terrorists during the incident.