Controversial Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has criticised calls for the execution of repentant insurgents and secessionists, insisting that such actions violate both religious teachings and international law.
The cleric made his position known in a Facebook post on Friday while reacting to the recent resolution by the Nigerian Senate urging the Federal Government to stop rehabilitating repentant terrorists and instead ensure that individuals found guilty of terrorism and other organised criminal offences are prosecuted.
The Senate had adopted the resolution during plenary on Tuesday as part of efforts to tackle the country’s worsening security challenges, maintaining that justice must be served to restore public confidence in Nigeria’s criminal justice system.
Responding to the lawmakers’ position, Gumi argued that executing repentant insurgents, secessionists or prisoners of war would be morally indefensible and contrary to established legal principles.
According to him, such actions would not only violate religious injunctions but could also attract international scrutiny.
“Killing repentant insurgents and secessionists is against religious and international law. So also prisoners of war. ICC is listening if you don’t fear Allah. Where is morality?” Gumi wrote.
The Islamic cleric further warned against allowing emotions to dictate decisions in the fight against insecurity, arguing that adopting methods similar to those employed by terrorist groups would only undermine the moral basis of the government’s counter-insurgency efforts.
He added, “It’s the same logic terrorists employ to kill all others besides them. Emotions don’t win a war.”
Gumi’s comments come amid an ongoing national debate over whether the government’s deradicalisation and rehabilitation programme for repentant insurgents should continue or be replaced with stricter punitive measures for those involved in terrorism-related offences.
