A Kaduna State-based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has said politicians are not funding the unrest in the northern part of the country.

In recent times, insecurity has continued to increase in the region, particularly the North-West.

Many, including the monarch of Gobir in Sokoto State, have been killed by bandits and other criminals.

In 2021, the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, alleged that politicians were sponsoring the banditry being witnessed in parts of the country. 

However, in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, Gumi dismissed the allegations that politicians were behind the unrest in the region.

He said, “This is an unintelligent allegation. No politician is sponsoring these people. We are all victims. The opposition is not even behind this. This is a natural reaction of people neglected for centuries without education.

“Now they are exposed to the world and they want education. These people are exposed to the Internet and they see how much they are deprived. They want to fight back. This act is not by anybody.”

He further stated that the people were expressing a strong desire for a better future for their offspring.

“We went to a village between Abuja and Kaduna and we built schools for herdsmen. To our surprise, over 600 of them with their families have started schooling there. They told us that they do not want their children to be like them. Imagine if we did that all around the country.”

[Punch]