Controversial Islamic 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.
“Instead of spending billions on military hardware to fight the bandits, Nigeria should spend much 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.
“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.
“If they are educated, they will not be doing what they are doing. So, we say we must take education to the grassroots and we embarked on the project to also be an example for others, local government, state and federal and rich individuals even cooperative societies to come together and make sure that we are directed across the forest to know what we can do to carter for nomads; it does not cost much, very little and it will help to educate them and we will live peacefully with them.
“What we have here is a centre containing six classrooms that can be used for primary, secondary schools and at various times you can teach all categories at all times and the place will be engaged for 24 hours because the herdsmen usually take their cattle out by 10am.
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