Popular Islamic Cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has in an exclusive interview with Plus TV Africa revealed that Banditry and kidnapping seem to be the least of Nigeria’s security challenges.
According to the Sheikh, of the 9.4 million nomads under the oppression of less than 1% of the armed bandits in the forests. The nomads who have wives and children according to the sheikh are being terrorized by the heinous acts of the criminals in the forests.
In addition, he claims the acts of those bandits are affecting the general populace as many are afraid to return to their farms, and as such almost 30% of agriculture in the nation is firmly within their control, and could only get worse.
He clarified that he called for a Ministry of Nomadic affairs as what started the banditry in the first place is a culmination of bad governance over the years and the neglect faced by these individuals.
He believes that dialogue and deploying Islamic scholars to the forests may be the best way to minimize the damage that may ensue in any other way in curbing the more frequent spates of insecurity in the country.
Nigeria seems to be reaching new highs in terms of rising levels of insecurity as kidnapping, robbery, and other forms of violence.