Gumi Denies Supporting Banditry, Threatens Accusers With Legal Action

Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has distanced himself from statements linking him to support for banditry in Nigeria, describing such claims as fake, manipulated and malicious.

In a press release issued on Saturday in Kaduna, Gumi said he had observed a growing trend of being misquoted in media interviews, public lectures, and discussions on insecurity and banditry in the country.
“I’ve noticed that I am being misquoted in some of my media interviews, public lectures, and discourse on how to address banditry in Nigeria,” he wrote.

According to him, the alleged misrepresentations were being driven by unnamed “certain ethnic-interest, groups, individuals driven by prejudice, and some sectional internet content creators who use sensational and outrageous headlines to attract viewership at the expense of human suffering and sacrifice.”

“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.

The cleric reaffirmed his loyalty to Nigeria, describing the country as a nation with unmatched potential.

“I am a loyal citizen of my beloved country, a nation whose potential I believe is unmatched anywhere in the world,” Gumi stated.

He urged the public, media organisations and government authorities to disregard what he described as doctored and false materials circulating online in his name.

“I therefore urge the general public, the media, and the Nigerian state to disregard such fake, manipulated, and doctored materials currently in circulation,” he said.

Gumi also warned that individuals or groups circulating false information against him after the release of the statement could face legal consequences.

“Furthermore, anyone who continues, from the date of this release, to circulate falsehoods against me shall be liable to legal action,” he added.

The cleric expressed hope that Nigeria would overcome its security challenges and called for collective efforts to support 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 fueled over time by ignorance, poverty, and widespread social injustice,” Sheikh Gumi stated.