Kaduna-based Islamic scholar Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has said he is ready to lead efforts for the amnesty of IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu, provided the separatist expresses genuine remorse and ends violence.
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Gumi made the remarks on Tuesday during an interview with Channels Television, stressing a non-military approach as the best way to address Nigeria’s security challenges. He argued that reconciliation, rather than force, offers the only sustainable path to peace.
He explained that the Nigerian Army is not built for guerrilla warfare and urged the government to seize moments when armed groups are willing to lay down arms. Gumi linked Kanu’s imprisonment to the broader national challenge of handling political and armed dissent and said he would support amnesty if Kanu shows genuine remorse.
Referencing past reconciliatory moves, including amnesty for Ojukwu and Niger Delta militants, Gumi stressed that Nigeria’s diversity requires forgiveness to maintain unity. He added that recent attacks on his character are tied to political disputes in Zamfara State, where authorities rejected a peace pact to curb banditry.
Gumi has long advocated negotiation, rehabilitation, and reintegration over purely military action against banditry, insisting his efforts aim for long-term national stability. He noted that recent kidnappings in Kebbi, Kwara, and Bauchi show that the crisis has outgrown solutions based solely on force.
