Rtd General Gumi Reveals How To End Boko Haram menace

Barrister AbdulQadir Abubakar Gumi, a retired Nigerian army brigadier-general, has revealed the only way to properly end the BokoHaram insurgency ravaging parts of the country.

Boko Haram leader Shekau making an address in a new video on February 17, 2015.

The former general, who made the submission in an insightful paper made available to Leadership on Tuesday, suggested a direct debating engagement with Boko Haram on its ideology, beliefs and faith-based dogma.

Gumi, who, until his recent controversial retirement, was the army’s director of legal services, narrated the story of a certain senior university lecturer (name withheld) who was kidnapped by the terrorist group and later released after he engaged the sect on its twisted and misguided interpretations of Islamic sources.

According to him, a proper Islamic engagement of the group’s doctrine through dialogue is the only way out, adding that it is also imperative to continue to put pressure on the federal government to value the use of the likes of the university lecturer to academically engage the extremists on their ideology and beliefs for the common good of all.

“Conducive atmosphere or environment is required for the desired engagement as well as security cover for all participants to positively complement efforts made so far in the counter-insurgency operations. Such a dialogue will automatically also suspend life and faith in their command structure, fighting spirit, morale and also save fresh recruitments of the vulnerable youths,” he said.
Gumi, who is the son of the famous late Islamic cleric and grand khadi of the northern region, Sheikh Abubakar Gumi, and brother of Kaduna-based Islamic scholar, Sheikh Mahmud Gumi, condemned the inability of the Nigerian armed forces to defeat the sect considering the prestige the military had gained in international peacekeeping missions in foreign countries.

“If our armed forces can offer mediation services under rules of minimum and limited force to foreign countries, why can’t it bring home such expertise between the larger conformist Nigerian Muslim community ahead of a war that has proved less effective?” he questioned.
Gumi therefore called on Muslims to take serious exception when asked to step aside by secular structures in the fight against Boko Haram’s destructive activities being executed in the name of Islam.

“Such stepping aside only marginalises the true teachings and sound character of a Muslim to oblivion. Islamic principles insist that converts and Muslims generally should be humble enough to respect the pattern of conveyance, practices and interpretations derived from earliest, inherited and established sources. Indications abound that innovative interpretations could also have been introduced by sinister sources outside the Islamic fold to have helped the Boko Haram firm up their compulsive propagation methods. Considering the age brackets of the youths involved, it could be revealing to also explore the uses, availability and sources of illicit drugs and intoxicants in and around the infested areas along with the sources of arms and ammunition supply to the sect,” Gumi said.

Meanwhile, as different concerned Nigerians continue to proffer solutions on how to end the activities of the radical Islamist group, it was reported that through the help of air strikes, Nigerian troops have reclaimed the towns of Monguno and Marte from the extremist sect.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) vice presidential candidate, Yemi Osinbajo, has also shared his opinion about the obstacles to a successful fight against Boko Haram in the northeast.