Gumi gives condition to push for Nnamdi Kanu’s release

Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, says he is willing to lead a campaign for amnesty for Nnamdi Kanu, the convicted leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), if Kanu publicly expresses remorse and renounces violence.

Kanu is currently serving a life sentence after being convicted of terrorism by the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Speaking on Channels Television, on Tuesday, Gumi said he believes Nigeria’s insecurity challenges require negotiations and non-kinetic approaches, adding that reconciliation should be considered when agitators demonstrate a willingness to embrace peace.

“If the same Kanu now shows remorse and also calls for peace, honestly, I will be in the forefront in calling for his pardon and amnesty for him,” Gumi said.

The cleric argued that Nigeria’s security problems cannot be resolved through force alone, saying the military is not structured for prolonged guerrilla engagements.

“Our army is not designed for a guerrilla war; no army is designed for that,” he said.

Gumi referenced past government decisions to grant amnesty to agitators, including former President Shehu Shagari’s pardon of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu and President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s amnesty programme for Niger Delta militants, as examples of political solutions to national conflicts.

According to him, dialogue with armed groups has yielded results in some areas.

“Look at the Abuja-Kaduna Road. Now everybody can ply it. Things are improving,” he said, while noting that security concerns still exist but not at previous levels.

The cleric also rejected suggestions of foreign intervention in Nigeria’s security crisis, insisting that solutions must come from within.

“Our sovereignty is a red line. We can never accept foreigners to come into Nigeria, whatever excuse it is,” he said.

Gumi urged Nigerians to support ongoing government efforts to address insecurity, warning against actions or rhetoric that could inflame ethnic or religious tensions.

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