Kaduna-based Muslim cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has revealed his intention to dialogue with bandits who abducted about 287 school children from Kuriga Government Secondary and LEA Primary Schools in the Chikun Local Government Area of the state.
Gumi said this in a bid to facilitate the release of the abducted schoolchildren should President Bola Tinubu give him the opportunity to negotiate.
He said Tinubu must not repeat the mistake made by former President Muhammadu Buhari, who refused to dialogue with bandits.
Meanwhile, the government of the affected state has refused to dialogue with the bandits to release the school children and has also refuted claims that it had hired a private negotiator to facilitate the release of the victims.
However, reacting to the development, Gumi said in a statement, that the government’s stand of no negotiation with the bandits is an unfortunate position.
He adviced that the government should dialogue with the bandits not only for these Kuriga school children’s abductions but all cases.
Sheikh Gumi added that the government should use the same approach it used in releasing passengers that were abducted on the Abuja–Kaduna train in 2022 to release the Kuriga school children and others.