“Police and Government Officials Accompany Me During My Visits to Bandits” — Sheikh Gumi Discloses

Controversial northern Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has insisted that his engagements with terr+rists and b@ndits are not covert operations, stating that he is always escorted by security personnel and government representatives.

Gumi made the clarification while speaking at the 2025 Southwest Muslims Ulama Summit held at the University of Ibadan, according to Sahara Reporters. He argued that the media and public have repeatedly misrepresented his efforts to engage with armed groups.

He explained that his frequent visits to remote hideouts are part of a broader attempt to understand the origins of Nigeria’s insecurity and to create avenues for education, dialogue, and rehabilitation.

“When I go, I go with the police. I don’t go alone. I go with the government. It’s not a one-man mission. I carry everybody along,” he said.

Gumi blamed the nation’s security crisis on widespread illiteracy and unemployment, which he described as the “two evils” fuelling vi%lence. He said years of neglect had created a generation of herders cut off from society and deprived of basic human development.

He maintained that his approach is aimed at identifying the true roots of insecurity rather than condemning from a distance.

“To curb insecurity, you must go to its source. In trying to establish contact and open channels for education, people turned it into a problem,” he added.

Gumi also lamented years of what he called media distortion and online att@cks.

“Whenever my name is mentioned, I know a barrage of att@cks is coming, all because of misrepresentation,” he said.

“I now understand what Muslims in the Southwest have been enduring.”

Despite not speaking Yoruba, Gumi said he felt connected to the concerns raised at the summit.

“I don’t understand Yoruba, but from the vibrations of the voices, I know we are saying the same thing,” he said.