A prominent Islamic cleric, Ahmad Gumi has urged the Federal Government to look into ways of providing reasonable means of livelihood for bandits terrorizing parts of the country.
The cleric said this when he met with some suspected bandits in Tubali and Makkai forests of Zamfara state where he had gone to appeal for calm.
The cleric who used the opportunity to preach Islam to the suspected bandit also said, “You all have a legitimate concern and grievances, since the Niger Delta armed militants were integrated by the federal government and are even in the business of pipeline 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 clinics and schools.”
One of the bandits identified as Bello was reported to have said the government should stop the “unlawful” killing of their loved ones.
“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,” he said.
This is not the first time Gumi will meet with suspected bandits to broker a peace deal.
About three weeks ago, over 500 bandits reportedly agreed to lay down their weapons in Kaduna after he struck a peace deal with them.
