Kaduna-based Islamic scholar, Sheikh Abubakar Gumi, has alleged that the Nigerian government is aware of the identities and locations of terrorists operating in different parts of the country.
Gumi made the claim during a recent interview with DRTV, which began trending online on Tuesday.
Responding to claims that he personally knows and interacts with bandits and terrorists responsible for insecurity in the North, the cleric said his engagement with such groups is not done privately but in collaboration with security agencies.
“The government knows every terrorist by name and by location. I don’t go alone to negotiate I go with the police, military and other security agencies,” Gumi said.
He explained that during some of the engagements, he visited traditional rulers and even travelled into forests where bandits are believed to operate.
“I would go to the Emirs. In fact, when we went to one forest, I even went with women into the bush,” he added.
Gumi has in the past been involved in dialogue initiatives with armed groups in northern Nigeria, arguing that negotiation could help reduce violence and encourage them to lay down their weapons.
