Kaduna-based Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has appealed for government authorization to engage in dialogue with bandits responsible for the abduction of 287 schoolchildren from Kuriga Government Secondary and LEA Primary Schools in the Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

Sheikh Gumi emphasizes the importance of dialogue, urging President Bola Tinubu to adopt a different approach from his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, who dismissed the idea of negotiation.

The recent attack in Kuriga, which saw bandits shooting and abducting pupils and teachers, follows closely on the heels of the abduction of 200 internally displaced women in Borno State while they were gathering firewood.

In response to the abductions and subsequent protests, the affected state government has declined to negotiate with the bandits or engage a private negotiator for the victims’ release.

Sheikh Gumi advocates for dialogue between the government and bandits, citing the successful negotiation for the release of passengers abducted on the Abuja–Kaduna train in 2022 as a potential model for resolving the current crisis.

Expressing his readiness to facilitate discussions between the government and bandits, Sheikh Gumi stresses the importance of dialogue for achieving lasting peace.

He urges President Tinubu’s administration to embrace dialogue, contrasting it with the previous administration’s refusal under President Buhari.

Sheikh Gumi, known for his past negotiations with bandits on behalf of state governments, has been commended for his efforts in seeking the release of abducted persons across the country.