Kaduna-based cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, says terrorists maiming, killing, and kidnapping innocent people for ransom are ‘listening and reasonable human beings’ who should be pacified and not eliminated by force.”
Kaduna-based cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has described terrorists responsible for maiming, killing, and kidnapping in Nigeria as “listening and reasonable human beings” who should be pacified rather than eliminated by force, according to a Tuesday, November 4, 2025, report by Peoples Gazette.
Gumi, a proponent of amnesty for bandits, advised against a potential U.S. military intervention threatened by U.S. President Donald Trump, arguing that bombing would be ineffective and cause more harm. In an interview with VOP TV, Gumi stated, “These terrorists you see, it is not easy to come and drop bombs here and there and think you will finish them, because they have infiltrated the society.” He added, “It is going to cause more damage. More Muslims and Christians will be killed if America drops a bomb in Nigeria.”
The cleric further suggested that the U.S. army would fail to defeat Nigerian terror groups, citing its inability to finish terror groups in Afghanistan and Syria over two decades. His comments follow Mr. Trump’s designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over alleged Christian genocide and his threat to invade the country to eliminate terrorists. Boko Haram has killed hundreds of thousands, kidnapped hundreds of schoolchildren (including the Chibok girls in 2014), and displaced close to three million people over a decade.