Prominent cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has delivered a blunt assessment of Nigeria’s battle against terrorism, stating that no government anywhere in the world can totally eliminate extremist violence.
Gumi argued that terrorism has global roots and that governments must combine force with dialogue, negotiation pathways, and deradicalization initiatives. According to him, Nigeria’s repeated cycles of insurgency show that the security forces alone cannot solve a problem rooted in poverty, ideology, and decades of marginalization.
He urged authorities to embrace a multi-layered approach involving traditional rulers, religious leaders, local peace committees, and socioeconomic interventions. The cleric reiterated his longstanding view that genuine dialogue should not be dismissed, even though it remains controversial in national discourse.
