Renowned Muslim preacher, Sheikh (Dr.) Ahmad Gumi has established a school for herdsmen inside a Kaduna forest, insisting that the provision of infrastructures to herdsmen in their remote locations could help in curbing their violent ideologies.
He said insecurity in Nigeria, particularly banditry can become a thing of the past, as bandits are ready to drop their arms if opportunities like education and other basic amenities are provided for them at the grassroots.
He named the school Sheikh Uthman Bin Fodio Centre, located at Kagarko Grazing Reserve near Kohoto Village in Kaduna state.
The school was built by Sheikh Gumi funded Mosque Foundation Limited, Kaduna.
“If the centre which is designed to educate the herdsmen is replicated everywhere in the Country, Nigerians will live in peace,” he said.
“Instead of spending billions on military hardware to fight the bandits, Nigeria should spend such money on schools and teachers.I have spoken with the bandits and they have expressed willingness to drop their arms and embrace peace, if their children can be given education and other social amenities,” he said.
“What motivated me to start this project was to solve the insecurity problem we have from the root because every crime has its perpetrators and perpetrators are drawn from a pool so we want to go there and dry the pool and we found out that education is the best cure.”