Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, a prominent Islamic cleric, has reacted to the transformation of the Ansaru terrorists responsible for the Abuja-Kaduna train killings and kidnappings.
Gumi is known for his clout among bandits and herdsmen terrorizing the country’s North-West and North-Central regions.
Gumi told Vanguard in an interview over the weekend that the Ansaru sect became brutal as a result of the Nigerian military bombarding their camps and the killing of their children and wives during military operations.
The controversial cleric claimed that bandits who are not affiliated with Boko Haram had to carve out a small area in which to live.
Gumi contended that the Ansaru bandits were not challenging the government, but rather the state’s wrongdoing.
He said:
I think they were disbanded, and some of their children were arrested, so they dispersed and got arms to fight back.
If you want to demarcate Boko Haram and the ISWAP, they are originally one group. Boko Haram was killing and massacring civilians.
When the Daesh came, they (Ansaru) said ‘okay let’s follow the Daesh and become a subsidiary of the Daesh’.
They are not Boko Haram. To them, Boko is not a problem.
Their problem is that they want to seclude themselves in the forest so that they live their pristine life the way they envisaged it.
But because of the fear of Boko Haram. The authorities disbanded them.
When their camp was disbanded, they became armed. They’re not challenging the state. They were challenging wrongdoing by the state.
That was why when they took the (train attack) victims, they wanted their prisoners to be released. You’ve seen the difference now.