Islamic scholar Ahmad Abubakar Mahmud Gumi has publicly supported the creation of a specialised Nigerian Forest Security Service (NFSS) to tackle armed banditry, while warning that the use of aerial bombardments in counter-insurgency operations risks harming civilians.
Speaking in the northern city of Kaduna during a Ramadan Tafsir lecture, Gumi stressed the need for coordinated and decisive action against forest-based criminal groups.
However, he urged authorities to avoid air-based attacks that could put non-combatants at risk.
Gumi pointed to a tragic incident in Tudun Biri in Kaduna State, where a Nigerian Air Force strike mistakenly hit a community, killing over 100 residents.
The civilian deaths have drawn widespread concern about the risks of aerial operations in populated or forested areas.
The cleric acknowledged that bandit groups have become increasingly dangerous and suggested that without effective and humane strategies they could evolve into full-fledged terrorist organisations.
He called for approaches that combine military decisiveness with sensitivity to civilian safety.
