• Claims bandits deserve same treatment as Niger Delta militants
Islamic scholar, Sheik Ahmad Abubakar Gumi, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure adequate appeasement of the Fulani race before leaving office next May.
Gumi spoke on Thursday as a resource person at the ongoing two-day First Interactive Policy Dialogue and Cultural Festival organised by the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, a Fulani socio-cultural association with the theme, “The Future of Fulani Pastoralists in Nigeria.”
The event took place at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja with Fulanis from 16 West African countries as delegates.
The Islamic scholar claimed that the Fulanis have been wrongly demonised and feel alienated.
He maintained that with dialogue and genuine commitment to peace, those who engage in kidnapping and banditry which have complicated security situations in both the North West and North-Eastern part of the country would surrender their arms.
The Islamic scholar particularly tasked the Muhammadu Buhari administration to create a Ministry of Nomadic Affairs to mitigate herders-farmers clashes.
He also demanded that adequate funds, in trillions to match the appeasement of Niger Delta militants with the creation of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs be done for the bandits.
He said: “The children that were killing and kidnapping people opened their doors freely to us when we visited because they heard we were there to preach the gospel, all they want is to dialogue. Send them people that they respect to dialogue with them and they will listen by the grace of God and this problem will be resolved.
“Everyone is to blame for their actions, including the bandits. They feel the world has developed and left them behind, all the injustice being meted out to them.
“How do we resolve this, we need to walk amongst them, embrace and ensure that all they deserve is given to them. The havoc they are causing is hindering farming, villages have been displaced because they feel that they were also displaced from their homes