Renowned Islamic Scholar Sheikh Dr Ahmed Mahmoud Gummi has narrated his encounter during a trip to the camps of bandits in Zamfara State.

Worried by the high rate of insecurity in the NorthWest region, the well-respected cleric visited the stronghold of the attackers, appealing to them to accept peace.

Briefing Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State at Government House, Gusau, on Thursday, the cleric said the bandits have turned into insurgents following the bad treatment from the people of the state.

He appealed to governments at all levels to make peace with the bandits, saying dialogue is the only option to end the menace.

“In most of the bandits and Fulani camps we have visited in Zamfara, I come to understand that what is happening in the state is nothing but an insurgency.”

“Some people are of the view that the bandits should be fought and killed, but what we understand is that majority of them are illiterates who need proper education and enlightenment,” he said.

Gummi said most of the bandits he came across are violent because of persistent attacks and harassment from a vigilante group.

He commended Governor Matawalle for introducing dialogue with the bandits as a means of ending banditry, charging other governors to emulate him. (Daily Trust)