Islamic cleric, Ahmad Gumi, has said armed groups involved in kidnapping are increasingly relying on ransom payments to sustain their operations due to mounting pressure from government security forces.
Speaking during an interview on AIT TV monitored by The News Chronicle, Gumi stated that intensified military operations have forced the groups to seek financial support through kidnapping activities.
According to him, “The terrorists are under pressure to fight the government and need all the money they’re getting from kidnapping. It’s not like they are living luxurious lives, they live in huts.”
He further explained that continued pressure from security agencies has pushed the groups to finance what he described as their “war machines” through criminal activities.
“The government is putting too much pressure on them so they need money to finance their war machines,” he said.
Gumi also argued that abandoning banditry would cut off their means of funding, saying the armed groups depend on such activities to sustain themselves amid ongoing security crackdowns.
