Don’t call Bandits Criminals if you want them to Surrender – Gumi tells Journalists

Popular Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has warned that Bandits should not be tagged criminals by Journalists.

Speaking on Arise Television on Thursday, Gumi noted that if the tag is avoided it will aid in their surrender. He expressed that the media is adding to the insecurity problem by the names they use in describing these bandits.

He said they should be described with nice words.

“You’re emphasizing on criminality, even the press are criminals too because they are putting oil into fire. These people are listening to you, you should not address them as criminals if you want them to succumb,” he said.

“Youths are ready to put down their weapons, now you are calling them criminals. How do you want them to cooperate? So you have to show them they are Nigerians, that they should not hurt children, be law-abiding. This is the language we want to hear, the press should assist us in getting the boys.

“You see when we talk with them with nice words, they are ready to listen to us, put down their weapons but when the language is about criminality, killing them, then this is what we will keep having.”