Prominent Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has claimed that former President Olusegun Obasanjo once held direct talks with Boko Haram leaders in Maiduguri, Borno State, during which the insurgents allegedly expressed readiness to lay down their weapons.
Speaking in a recent video, the Kaduna-based cleric said Obasanjo personally narrated the encounter to him. According to Gumi, the former president travelled to Maiduguri in the early stages of the insurgency, met with Boko Haram representatives, and secured their agreement to disarm.
“Look at Obasanjo; he told me this himself that, at the early stage of Boko Haram, he went to Maiduguri where he met with the leaders of Boko Haram and they agreed to lay down their arms. And he came back, but the government was reluctant to take action, and he was bitter about that; you can interview him,” Gumi stated.
He alleged that the initiative ultimately failed because the government did not follow through on the commitments arising from those discussions.
Gumi used the revelation to renew his long-standing advocacy for dialogue as a pathway out of Nigeria’s protracted security crisis. He argued that negotiating with armed groups should not be treated as taboo, pointing to international precedents.
“You negotiate with the Taliban, Hamas; you negotiate with everybody you have problems with; why can’t we negotiate with them? So it’s now like a taboo to negotiate with them?” he asked.
The cleric further called on the Federal Government to craft a security strategy rooted in Nigeria’s unique realities rather than external pressures.
“Nigeria has to show the international community that this is our baby, this is how we want, and not depending on your ethics and standards. The government should not listen to the international community because this is our problem and we have to solve it. The government shouldn’t be blackmailed; that’s what is hindering the government,” Gumi said.
He added that if he were president, he would offer a six-month amnesty window for insurgents to surrender their weapons.