Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmed Gumi, has drawn a direct link between the growing population of out-of-school children in Northern Nigeria and the persistent insecurity across the region, stressing that widespread illiteracy remains a major driver of crime.
Sheikh Gumi made the remarks during an interview on Trust TV News on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, while responding to questions on whether there is a correlation between the millions of children roaming the streets and the rising insecurity in the North.
When asked if the Al-Majiri system and the large number of children fending for themselves had contributed to insecurity, the cleric answered in the affirmative. According to him: “Oh, definitely there’s a correlation, because every bandit or every criminal you get, you find that he’s illiterate, he’s not educated.”
He contrasted this with the profile of educated Nigerians, noting that criminal activities are rarely associated with those who have received formal education. In his words: “And we that are educated, me and you, you hardly find people like us in banditry or in crimes like that.”
Sheikh Gumi said education plays a critical role in addressing the security challenges facing the country. He stated: “So education really has a factor, it’s a big factor in the widespread insecurity we have in this nation.” Beyond security concerns, the Islamic scholar emphasized that education is a fundamental right that should be extended to all citizens, regardless of circumstance.
According to him: “And I think it’s high time, you know, not even because of insecurity, it’s their right. We should educate every single soul.” He questioned the sustainability of allowing children to roam the streets without access to education or structured support. He asked: “How can we allow people to be roaming about in the streets? How can they not be lured into crimes?”
Sheikh Gumi also highlighted the economic pressures facing vulnerable populations, particularly in the context of inflation and economic hardship. In his words: “How do they fend for themselves? How do they, with the especially rising inflation and economic downturn, how can people survive without committing crimes?”
He called for increased involvement from wealthy individuals and private citizens, urging them to redirect resources toward education rather than luxury spending. According to him: “So I think it’s high time now, especially our rich people, rather than donating money to footballers and all this kind of uselessly spending money on lavish ceremonies, and let’s gather money enough to bring out every child from the street and put him in the school.”
Sheikh Gumi said such an approach would yield broad social benefits beyond reducing crime. He stated: “And that will do a lot.” The cleric further noted that expanding the education sector could also help address unemployment, which he identified as another factor contributing to insecurity. In his words: “And it’s also, you know, the educational sector is a big industry.”
He explained that a large-scale investment in education could create jobs and absorb unemployed graduates. According to him: “It’s going to, in fact, absorb many graduates that are jobless now.”
Sheikh Gumi concluded by linking education, employment, and security as interconnected issues that require collective action. As he put it: “So it’s a system which it will also heal society from unemployment, which is another factor of insecurity.”
