Kaduna cleric says he is ready to support any armed group willing to embrace dialogue and abandon violence, insists government knows identities of terrorists.

Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has said he would support armed groups such as the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Boko Haram insurgents, and bandits if they are willing to lay down their weapons and pursue peace through dialogue.

Speaking during a recent interview about his controversial engagements with armed groups, Gumi maintained that his support would only be extended to factions prepared to abandon violence and participate in negotiations with the Nigerian government.

According to him, peaceful dialogue remains the most effective pathway to resolving Nigeria’s deepening insecurity.

“Dialogue can bring peace, and we are men of peace,” Gumi said. “Even IPOB, which is agitating for secession, if they are ready to drop their arms and come to the roundtable for discussion, I am ready to support them. All we do not want is violence.”

The cleric also claimed that the Nigerian government possesses detailed intelligence about the identities and whereabouts of terrorists operating across the country.

He noted that his mediation efforts are not carried out independently but in collaboration with security agencies.

“The government knows every terrorist by name and by location. I don’t go alone to negotiate; I go with the police, the military, and other security agencies,” he said.

Gumi further described some of his past peace missions, revealing that he had ventured into forest hideouts of armed groups during negotiations, sometimes even accompanying women to facilitate discussions.

Despite his efforts, he expressed concern about widespread public distrust toward government actions in addressing insecurity.

“What they say is not what they do,” he said, questioning the effectiveness of current strategies. “We must ask ourselves: what is the way out of insecurity? There is a solution. Let’s bring together intellectuals and criminologists from reputable institutions to develop practical solutions.”

Gumi has previously advocated dialogue and amnesty as part of a broader strategy to end the prolonged violence linked to insurgency and banditry in Nigeria.