Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has disclosed details of a meeting he held with Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi during his administration, following Gumi’s visit to Boko Haram fighters in the Sambisa Forest.
According to Obasanjo, Gumi returned from the encounter visibly shocked. He reportedly informed the former president that many of the fighters he met were children, some younger than 15 years old, armed and heavily influenced by hard drugs.
Obasanjo said Gumi’s account highlighted the alarming level of recruitment and exploitation of minors within the insurgent group, underscoring the urgency of addressing the root causes of violent extremism in the region.
