A Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Ahmad Gumi, has confirmed his invitation by security services following comments he made on bandit activity.
In a social media post yesterday, hours after the Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, said that security authorities had summoned Gumi, the Islamic cleric said his discussions with security agencies was on how to combat the threatening trend of banditry.
The minister had stated however, that no one is above the law, and if proven guilty, Gumi will be penalized.
In his post titled, ‘Only one person is above the law: the innocent’, Gumi said, “Last night I got many frantic calls from well-wishers and journalists about a news item that I was interviewed by security. There is absolutely no cause for alarm.
“Yes, we had a productive interaction on how to curb banditry as we are all trying – each in his own sphere – to tackle the monster bedeviling the nation.
“There was no animosity but courtesy and full of respect. We all need as a nation to unite and work in synergy to achieve an everlasting peace.”
Gumi sparked a new controversy with security authorities last week when he stated that they have no jurisdiction to brand any Nigerian a terrorist financier. The cleric reacted to a recent list by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) that named his close colleague, Kaduna-based publisher Tukur Mamu, and 14 others as terror sponsors.
The cleric had also promised to negotiate with terrorists for the release of 137 students kidnapped on March 7, 2024, from the Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State by marauding bandits.
Gumi also stated that the government should negotiate with bandits, but the minister and Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, emphasized that no ransom was paid for the release of the schoolchildren and that Gumi was not engaged in the safe return of the abducted Kuriga students.
