Renowned Islamic scholar, Ahmad Gumi, said on Tuesday that he met with Fulani herders in Zamfara forests and not bandits as widely reported.
Gumi made this known in an interview with Daily Trust while reacting to critics of his meeting aimed at convincing the criminal herdsmen to drop their guns and repent.
The cleric said the herders took up arms because of injustice done to them which include killing them and their cattle, extortion and burning their homes by security operatives.
He said: “They were victims of violence so they took arms to protect themselves. Wherever they are as cattle herders, they face problems with farmers; we saw what happened in Oyo, how their homes and cattle were burnt. These people live in huts while those killing them and destroying their homes live a better life.”
The cleric condemned while it is wrong for the herders to attack and kill innocent people, it was also wrong for the security operatives to burn the herders’ properties and profile them as criminals.
He said: “I am not talking about the criminals among them; there are criminals among them just like there are criminals, armed robbers, kidnappers among Yoruba and there are also robbers and kidnappers among the Igbo. We cannot hide the criminals among the herdsmen and condemn every herdsman. This is all we are saying.”
The popular cleric said he has so far visited parts of Kaduna, Zamfara and Sokoto states to educate and preach to the herders.
Gumi said he had commenced with the distribution of books to the herders, adding that the herders had shown willingness to live a positive life.
He said: “We cannot abandon them. I have a picture of some little girls that are drinking water from the same stream with animals. They have no social amenities; no hospitals and we are here talking.”