…as Fulani herdsmen say ‘govt’s uncaring attitude forced us into taking up arms’
Popular Islamic cleric, Dr Ahmed Abubakar Gumi, on Tuesday, met with some bandits inside the forests in Shinkafi and Gummi local government areas of Zamfara State.
Gumi’s visit to the bandits’ camps, it was learnt, was to appeal to the Fulani herdsmen to let peace reign and rid the country of kidnappings, killings and banditry as well as to spread the message of Islam.
It was learn that the cleric and his entourage first visited the bandits in the forests of Tubali and Makkai in Shinkafi LGA, occupied by heavily armed Fulani herdsmen.
At the Tubali Forest camp of the bandits, Gumi was said to have met with about 150 armed Fulani who expressed their grievances and stated why they would not want to surrender their arms.
Chairman of Shinkafi council reportedly said before the peace agreement with the bandits, there were frequent and rampant cases of kidnappings on Shinkafi-Gusau road while instances of frequent attacks with heavy casualties were also rampant.
He, however, added that at present, there had been no single attack in the area in the past seven months.
Commander of the bandits, simply identified as Bello, said, “Let the killings of our loved ones by security agents without due process of the law stop, as well as cattle rustling that denied most of us legitimate means of livelihood.”
Gumi and his entourage also met with more than 600 bandits armed with automatic rifles inside the Makkai Forest, with their Commander, identified as Kachalla Turji, welcoming them.
The bandits in Makkai, just like their comrades-in-arms in Tubali, said government attitude towards them frustrated them into taking up arms.
Gumi, while addressing the bandits, said they had legitimate concerns and grievances against the state and should be integrated like the Niger Delta militants by the Federal Government.
The cleric said the Fulani bandits should also be catered for by the Federal Government through the provision of jobs and basic amenities of life in their settlements.
[Also read] Sunday Igboho eats his words, begs Ooni for forgiveness
“Let there be peace; you all have a legitimate concern and grievances, and I believe that since the Niger Delta armed militants were integrated by the Federal Government and are even in the business of pipelines protection, the Federal Government should immediately look into how something like that will be done to the Fulani to provide them with reasonable means of livelihood including jobs, working capitals, entrepreneurship training, building clinic and schooling,” Gumi reportedly said.