Do not call bandits criminals if you want them to surrender, Sheikh Gumi warns journalists

- Sheikh Gumi has issued a strong warning to Nigerian journalists over the activities of bandits

- The Islamic cleric on Thursday, February 25, stated that bandits must not be labelled as criminals

- According to Gumi, the media is adding to the problem of insecurity with the names used in describing them

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Renowned Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi continues to advocate for the bandits. This time Gumi is asking the media to stop referring to the bandits as criminals.

He made the request while speaking as a guest on Arise Television on Thursday, February 25.

The cleric who berated the media, accused journalists of fuelling Nigeria's insecurity problem by the names they use.

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According to him, if the media wants them to surrender their weapons and embrace peace they should use nice words to describe the bandits.

Bandits are militants, they’ve killed only few people, says Gumi

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the prominent Islamic cleric advocated for bandits. In his defence of the criminals, Gumi described them as militants who are fighting “an ethnic war”.

He made his points while speaking during a Channels TV programme on Monday, February 22. According to him, bandits are not interested in killing people.

In fact, the Islamic scholar said the criminals had only killed a few people.

Northern elders fume, lambast cleric over comments on bandits

However, following his comments on armed banditry in Nigeria, the North East Elders for Peace and Development, have cautioned Sheikh Gumi, against justifying illegal acts and other associated criminality ravaging the north.

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The elders expressed fear that recent comments and attitudes of the cleric could embolden the bandits.

The northern elders, however, insisted that Gumi’s allegations were not a representation of the position of the region, saying the public must see the same as personal sentiments of the cleric.

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Oluwatobi Bolashodun is a Legit.ng journalist with six years of working experience in the media industry. She graduated from Babcock University in 2012 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communication. Oluwatobi is a Current Affairs Editor, mostly writing on political, educational, and business topics. She uses her team spirit to encourage others to work hard.

Source: Legit.ng