Reactions Trail What Sheikh Gumi Said After 80 Militants Surrender Arm In C’River Amnesty Breakthrough

Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has reacted to reports that about 80 militants have surrendered their arms in Cross River State under the state government’s amnesty programme, describing the development as a telling contrast to attitudes toward similar initiatives in northern Nigeria.

The militants reportedly laid down their weapons in Akpabuyo Local Government Area as part of an amnesty deal designed to encourage disarmament, reintegration, and peace in affected communities. The move has been widely described as a breakthrough in the state’s efforts to curb militancy and criminal violence.

Reacting via a post on his official Facebook page, Sheikh Gumi questioned what he described as double standards in public reactions to amnesty programmes across different regions of the country. Sharing the report, the cleric wrote: “Militants under the state government’s amnesty programme in Akpabuyo Local Government Area. Amnesty halal for them, haram in the north. Where are those noisy idiots saying no amnesty for criminals.”

Gumi’s comments appeared to reference ongoing debates around the use of amnesty and dialogue in addressing banditry and insurgency in northern Nigeria. While amnesty programmes in the Niger Delta and other southern states have often been framed as pragmatic peace-building tools, similar proposals in the North have attracted fierce criticism from sections of the public and political class.

The cleric has consistently argued that dialogue and negotiated settlements should not be dismissed outright, insisting that ending cycles of violence sometimes requires engagement rather than purely military solutions. His latest remarks reignited conversations on whether Nigeria applies uniform standards when dealing with armed groups across regions.