A prominent Islamic cleric from Kaduna State, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has refuted claims that politicians are funding the ongoing unrest in northern Nigeria, particularly in the North-West region, where insecurity has worsened in recent years.
Despite numerous attacks by bandits and other criminal elements, including the killing of the monarch of Gobir in Sokoto State, Gumi insists that political involvement is not to blame.
Back in 2021, Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, alleged that politicians were behind banditry sweeping parts of the country.
However, in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, Gumi dismissed this allegation as baseless and lacking intelligence.
The cleric said, “This is an unintelligent allegation. No politician is sponsoring these people. We are all victims. The opposition is not even behind this. This is a natural reaction of people neglected for centuries without education.
“Now they are exposed to the world and they want education. These people are exposed to the Internet and they see how much they are deprived. They want to fight back. This act is not by anybody.”
Gumi also highlighted the growing desire for education and a better future among the affected communities.
“We went to a village between Abuja and Kaduna and we built schools for herdsmen. To our surprise, over 600 of them with their families have started schooling there.
“They told us that they do not want their children to be like them. Imagine if we did that all around the country,” he stated.
