Islamic cleric Sheikh Gumi has described the kidnapping of school children by terrorists and bandits as a “lesser evil” compared to killing soldiers, insisting that Nigeria must negotiate with bandits to prevent greater bloodshed.
Speaking in an interview with the BBC shared on Tuesday, December 9, Gumi said that while the abduction of minors is “evil,” it remains less grievous when compared to the maiming of soldiers.
“Saying that kidnapping children is a lesser evil than killing your soldiers, definitely is lesser. Killing is worse than, but they are all evil. It’s just a lesser evil. Not all evils are of the same power,” he said.
He cited previous incidents, including the mass abduction in Kebbi State, arguing that the victims were freed without fatalities.
“So it’s a lesser evil than, like, what happened in Kebbi. They abducted children, and they were released. They didn’t kill them,” he said.
