Kidnapping Children ‘Lesser Evil’ Than Killing Soldiers, Says Sheikh Gumi

Segun Atanda/

Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has described the kidnapping of schoolchildren as a “lesser evil” when compared with the killing of soldiers, arguing that dialogue with bandits remains necessary to prevent greater loss of life in Nigeria.

Speaking in an interview with the BBC shared on Tuesday, Gumi said that while the abduction of minors is undeniably evil, it is less grievous than murder, particularly in cases where victims are eventually released alive.

“Saying that kidnapping children is a lesser evil than killing your soldiers, definitely is lesser. Killing is worse than, but they are all evil. It’s just a lesser evil. Not all evils are of the same power.”

He referenced previous mass abductions, including an incident in Kebbi State, to support his argument that kidnappings do not always result in fatalities.

“So it’s a lesser evil than, like, what happened in Kebbi. They abducted children, and they were released. They didn’t kill them.”

His comments come amid the recent abduction of more than 315 people in Niger State, comprising 303 students and 12 teachers.

On December 7, the Federal Government announced the release of 100 of the abducted students, while an earlier report confirmed that 50 others had escaped days after the attack.

When asked what message he had for the parents of the kidnapped children, Gumi responded briefly: “It’s an evil, and we pray that they escape”.

The cleric also reaffirmed his long-standing advocacy for negotiation with bandits, describing engagement with armed non-state actors as a practical means of securing peace and saving lives. He insisted that negotiation is already a global practice.

“That word [‘we don’t negotiate’], I don’t know where they got it from. It’s not in the Bible. It’s not in the Quran.

“In fact, it’s not even in practice. Everybody’s negotiating with outlaws, non-state actors, everybody. So who got it, and where did they get that knowledge from? We negotiate for peace and our strategic interests. If negotiation will bring stoppage to bloodshed, we will do it.”

Gumi further clarified that his previous engagements with bandit groups were neither secret nor unilateral.

“I go there with the authorities. I don’t go there alone. And I go there with the press,” he said.

He disclosed that his last direct meetings with bandits took place in 2021, during which he made extensive efforts to bring rival factions together.

According to him, the Federal Government at the time “was not keen” on the initiative. He added that once the groups were formally designated as terrorist organisations, he ceased all contact with them.

On the broader security challenge facing the country, the former army captain argued that the Nigerian military cannot carry the burden of internal security alone.

“We need a robust army… but even the military is saying our role in this civil unrest, in this criminality, is 95% kinetic. The rest is the government, the politics, and the locals. The military cannot do everything.”

Gumi also maintained that most bandits are Fulani herdsmen rather than urban Fulani, urging the public to distinguish between the two groups. He described their actions as rooted in survival and cattle rearing.

“They are fighting an existential war… Their life revolves around cattle. In fact, they inherit them. They’ll tell you, ‘This cow I inherited from my grandfather.’ They are mostly Fulani herdsmen, not the Fulani town, because you have to differentiate between the two.”

His remarks once again highlight the ongoing debate over the balance between military force and dialogue in tackling Nigeria’s deepening insecurity, particularly in the north-west, where kidnapping, banditry and violent attacks continue to devastate communities.