Dare Babalola
A renowned Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has stated that he would have advocated for Nnamdi Kanu’s release if the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader had shown remorse.
Gumi made the statement on Tuesday while appearing as a guest on The Morning Brief, a programme on Channels Television.
“If Nnamdi Kanu, who is in prison for terrorism and threatening to kill our soldiers, shows remorse and calls for peace, I will be at the forefront in calling for his pardoning and amnesty for him,” Gumi said.
“Look, Shagari, our president, we are from the same town. Shagari gave amnesty to Ojukwu. Look at Umar Yar’Adua; he gave amnesty to the Niger Delta militants, who have also committed acts of terrorism. So, this is how we are.”
Gumi, who has been at the forefront of calls for governments to adopt a non-kinetic approach to resolving security issues, especially in the northern parts of Nigeria, believes the country will be better off with that.
The cleric argued that since “we have people who are ready to put down their arms, then why do you always decide it has to be kinetic?”
“Even America could not succeed in Afghanistan, even Israel could not succeed in a small strip of land. Our army is not designed for the gorilla; no army is designed for the kind of people we are showing now, no army is designed for it.
“If you have been following, the Fulani herdsmen have been calling for peace. When you call them for peace, they come with their guns for many reasons.
“Can you call IPOB for peace? Can you call Boko Haram? I think the former president has called for peace, and they came, but now it’s difficult to call for peace again. So, anybody who inclines to peace. I’m with him, I’m telling you,” Gumi said.
His comment comes barely a week after Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced Kanu to life imprisonment, following his conviction on all seven counts of terrorism filed against him.
Recall that Kanu was subsequently transferred to Sokoto Prison.
