Gumi also expressed hope for national healing and lasting peace, while sympathising with victims of violence across the country.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Kaduna State-based Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has distanced himself from all videos, statements, and messages showing him advocating for bandits, claiming they are false, malicious, and manipulated.
He made the clarification on Saturday in a press statement shared on his verified Facebook page.
Prior to this development, an Abuja-based activist and human rights lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, had called for the arrest of the cleric.
His demand followed a trending video in which Gumi allegedly said that Fulani herdsmen are going nowhere, adding, “They are part of us and we are part of them. We must live with them.”
Speaking via his verified handle, Adeyanju said, “People like Gumi can only survive in a country without a government. Terrorist sympathisers are terrorists.
“His words and actions promote terrorism in Nigeria. I call on the government to arrest him to serve as a deterrent to others.”
Since then, many netizens have also questioned the Islamic scholar’s allegiance and accused him of being sympathetic to these terrorist groups.
Reacting, Gumi said he had observed that some of his media interviews on insecurity and banditry were being deliberately misrepresented by what he described as “ethnic-interest groups, individuals driven by prejudice, and sectional internet content creators.”
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According to him, the individuals involved were using “sensational and outrageous headlines” to attract public attention and online viewership “at the expense of human suffering and sacrifice.”
The cleric stated unequivocally that he had never supported or justified banditry in any form.
“I hereby state unequivocally that any video clip, written statement, or message attributed to me, whether directly or by innuendo, suggesting support for, justification of, protection of, or advocacy for banditry in Nigeria or anywhere else does not emanate from me,” he said.
Gumi described himself as “a loyal citizen” who believes strongly in Nigeria’s potential, adding that the public and authorities should disregard materials currently circulating against him.
“I, therefore, urge the general public, the media, and the Nigerian state to disregard such fake, manipulated, and doctored materials currently in circulation,” he stated.
He also warned that anyone who continues to circulate what he termed falsehoods against him from the date of the statement would face legal consequences.
The cleric further expressed hope for national healing and lasting peace, while sympathising with victims of violence across the country.
“I sincerely hope that our great nation will heal, and that all victims affected by this violence will find comfort in the collective determination of the nation and the international community to achieve a lasting solution to the insecurity fuelled over time by ignorance, poverty, and widespread social injustice,” he added.
