‘Handle With Caution’: Sheikh Gumi Warns Against Provoking Terrorists Amid Fragile Peace Deal in Katsina

By: Zagazola Makama

A fresh wave of controversy has trailed the ongoing peace negotiations in Katsina State, as fiery Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, warned Nigerians and security forces against provoking armed groups who recently entered into dialogue with communities in the troubled Faskari Local Government Area.

The cleric’s remarks followed a dramatic peace meeting on Sunday, where residents, traditional leaders, and community representatives engaged directly with Ado Alero—a notorious bandit kingpin wanted by security agencies—alongside dozens of heavily armed herders.

In a surprising twist, another infamous figure, Isiya Kwashen Garwa, who had long topped the Defence Headquarters’ wanted list, appeared in Hayin Gada community, Faskari. According to counter-insurgency analyst Zagazola Makama, Garwa stunned locals by pledging to embrace dialogue and peace, signaling what could be a turning point in the battle to end years of bloodshed in the northwest.

But Sheikh Gumi, who has consistently argued that negotiation, not military firepower, is the key to peace, raised a red flag in a Facebook post on Monday. He warned that any reckless attempt to attack the armed groups could trigger a dangerous relapse into violence.

> “Some people who don’t want peace will provoke them again by attacking them,” Gumi cautioned. “It’s very important to educate them, because they are being used—capitalising on their ignorance and zeal for vengeance.”



The development has split public opinion. While some residents hail the dialogue as a bold move toward ending cycles of killings, kidnappings, and displacement, others fear that sitting at the same table with wanted terrorists could legitimize their crimes and weaken the state’s authority.

Katsina, a state that has suffered years of terror raids, abductions of schoolchildren, and rural displacement, now finds itself at a delicate crossroads: Should peace be brokered at any cost, or does negotiating with armed warlords risk emboldening them further?

For now, Sheikh Gumi’s call for restraint underscores the fragile line between peace and renewed chaos in one of Nigeria’s most volatile regions.