Gumi offers to lead amnesty push for IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu

Ahmad Gumi, a prominent Islamic cleric based in Kaduna who has been speaking on behalf of bandits, has declared his readiness to personally champion a campaign for amnesty for Nnamdi Kanu, the convicted leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), provided Kanu publicly renounces violence.

Last week, Kanu was handed a life sentence by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja after being found guilty of terrorism-related charges, including inciting violence against Nigerian security forces.

Speaking on Channels Television’s morning programme on Tuesday, Gumi reiterated his longstanding stance that dialogue, not military force, offers Nigeria the most viable route to resolving its myriad security crises. He argued that Nigeria’s armed forces are ill-equipped for protracted guerrilla conflict and that a purely kinetic approach has failed to deliver lasting peace.

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“Our army is not designed for a guerrilla war; no army is designed for that,” Gumi stated. “So, since we have people that are ready to put down their arms, why must the response always be kinetic?”

He cited Kanu as a potential candidate for reconciliation: “If the same Kanu, who was imprisoned for terrorism and for agitating that our soldiers should be killed, now shows remorse and calls for peace, I will be in the forefront calling for his pardon and amnesty.”

Gumi pointed to past amnesties as precedents, referencing former President Shehu Shagari’s clemency for Biafran leader Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu and President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s 2009 amnesty programme for Niger Delta militants—many of whom had also carried out acts classified as terrorism.

“Look at Zamfara and Kaduna,” he added. “In Kaduna, negotiating with bandits has yielded results. In Zamfara, the problem persists because the government has been unable to reach an agreement.”

The cleric warned against external interference in Nigeria’s internal affairs, stressing the need for homegrown solutions. “I don’t want foreign intervention,” he said firmly. “And I don’t want tribes fighting one another. We must also avoid igniting the fire of religious conflict—once lit, who can quench it?”

Read also:South-East leaders push political solution after Kanu’s life sentence

Gumi expressed cautious optimism about recent security improvements, particularly on the Abuja–Kaduna corridor, once notorious for kidnappings and attacks. “Everyone can now ply that road. Things are improving—not perfectly, but significantly. Incidents still occur, but they are no longer the norm.”

He urged Nigerians to support their government and allow it space to implement solutions, while drawing a firm line at external pressure. “Our sovereignty is a red line,” he concluded. “We can never accept foreigners coming into Nigeria, whatever the excuse.”