Key Points
- Obasanjo says Gumi met boys under 15 in forest camps. He recalls reports of guns, drugs and claims of “fortification.”
- The former president warns that children drawn into gangs feel untouchable. He says the trend shows how deep bandit crime has grown.
- He urges leaders to act fast on child recruits in bandit groups. He calls for stronger security and rescue plans for young boys.
Former president Olusegun Obasanjo has raised concern about children drawn into bandit groups in Nigeria. He said Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi told him some of the boys he met in forest camps were under 15 years old and already armed with weapons.
Obasanjo linked the account to his wider warning on rising bandit attacks across the country. He recently urged the government to seek outside support if it fails to stop the gangs, saying the threat has gone beyond normal crime levels, as reported in an earlier piece on Obasanjo urges global help against bandits.
Obasanjo recalls talk with Gumi
Obasanjo said he met Gumi after one of the cleric’s visits to bandit hideouts in the forest. During that talk, he explained, Gumi described groups of young boys who moved around with guns as if it were normal. According to Obasanjo, some of them were minors who should still be in school.
The former president said Gumi further told him that many of the boys appeared to be under the influence of hard substances.
He added that the boys claimed they had “fortified” themselves, a phrase often used to suggest charm-based protection in parts of Nigeria. Obasanjo said this mix of drugs, guns and false beliefs should worry every leader.
He stressed that the boys Gumi met did not speak like people who feared arrest or death. Instead, they reportedly spoke with boldness, boasting of power and protection. Obasanjo said this sense of fearlessness makes the task of calming and disarming them much harder.
Fears over children in bandit gangs
Obasanjo used the story to show how fast bandit groups have changed in recent years. In his view, what started as armed adults in remote areas now includes boys barely in their teens. He warned that a child who spends his early years holding a gun may struggle to adjust to normal life later on.
He explained that these young boys often grow up inside a circle of raids, ransom deals and harsh rules set by gang leaders.
Many of them, he said, may never have known steady schooling or stable home life. Obasanjo noted that such a path can leave deep scars even if the boys later drop their weapons.
The former leader also pointed out that the spread of drugs in the camps raises new dangers. He said a child who is high on hard substances while holding a loaded gun can make reckless choices. In that state, he added, even simple quarrels or panic can lead to deadly shooting.
Obasanjo linked Gumi’s story with public anger over how some figures speak about bandits in the media. In a recent piece, actor Ime Bishop “Okon Lagos” accused Gumi of defending bandits and urged the police to act on his comments, as reported in Okon Lagos questions Gumi over bandit talks. He said these debates show how tense the topic has become.
Call for urgent action on child recruits
Beyond his concern, Obasanjo called for clear steps to stop children from being drawn into bandit life. He urged stronger patrols and better aid for rural families so that poverty and fear do not push boys toward the forest camps. He also said leaders must back schools and skills centres in high-risk areas.
He added that there must be special plans for any minors rescued from bandit groups. In his view, these boys need both care and firm guidance to build new lives away from crime. That could include basic schooling, counselling and simple training that leads to honest work.
Obasanjo also repeated his push for smarter use of tools like drones, better border checks and closer work between security agencies to track gang routes.
He said the state must show clear will so that people in affected areas feel less alone in the fight.
The former president ended his remarks with a warning that time is not on Nigeria’s side. Each season that passes, he said, could see more children pulled into armed groups if nothing changes.
He urged both government and elders to act now so that the next stories from the forest will be of rescued boys, not more child bandits with guns and drugs
