Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has criticised the Federal Government’s classification of bandits as terrorists, warning that the move could escalate insecurity and eliminate opportunities for dialogue with the groups.

Gumi made the remarks in a viral video in which he criticised the classification of bandits as terrorists, warning that the move could worsen the security situation.

According to the cleric, some bandit groups had previously shown a willingness to negotiate and should not have been labelled terrorists.

“We don’t want to push them into terror beyond what they are doing now because it can get worse,” Gumi said.

He argued that dialogue remained a viable option for addressing insecurity, adding that some bandits had in the past cooperated with authorities by apprehending members of Boko Haram and handing them over to security agencies in Zamfara State.

“They have shown us their willingness to negotiate, so people that are ready to negotiate, why are you rushing to declare them terrorists?” he asked.

“Before, they used to catch Boko Haram and present them to the authorities in Zamfara, but now they are all terrorists.”

Gumi further lamented that the designation has effectively shut down channels for engagement between clerics and armed groups.

“Secondly, the only door that is remaining is for us clergy to go in and negotiate with them; that is closed permanently,” he said.

The Islamic scholar has in the past drawn criticism for his visits to bandit camps and his advocacy for dialogue as a means of resolving the country’s banditry crisis. His latest comments are likely to reignite debate over the government’s counterinsurgency and anti-banditry strategy.