Popular Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has stated that bandits are ready to drop their arms only if government can provide education and other basic amenities for Fulani herdsmen across the north and by extension, Nigeria.
Gumi disclosed this while on inspection tour of Sheikh Uthman Bin Fodio Centre, a school built by Sheikh Gumi Mosque Foundation Limited, at Kagarko Grazing Reserve near Kohoto village.
He stated that if the centre, which is designed to educate herdsmen, is replicated everywhere in the country, Nigerians will live in peace.
Gumi noted that instead of spending billions on military hardware to fight the bandits, Nigeria should spend such money on schools and teachers.
Also Read: Bandits Should Be Adequately Compensated With Enough Money And Lands – Gumi
He also disclosed that he had spoken with the bandits and they were willing to drop their arms and embrace peace, if their children could be provided with education and other social amenities.
Gumi said, “What motivated me to start this project was to solve the insecurity problem we have from the root because every crime has its perpetrators and every perpetrators are drawn from a pool. So, we want to go there and dry the pool and we found out that education is the best cure.
“If they are educated, they will not be doing what they are doing. So, we say we must take education to the grassroots and we embarked on the project to also be an example for others.
“What we have here is centre containing six classrooms that can be used for primary, secondary schools and at various times you can teach all categories at all times.
“The place will be engaged for 24 hours because the herdsmen usually take their cattle out by 10am and bring them back by dawn or sunset. So, they have two hours before they take their cattle away and we have two to three hours because we like to put some solar light so that they can read 8, 9, 10pm in the night.”
via: Information Nigeria
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