Kaduna-based Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, and human rights lawyer, Chief Malcolm Omirhobo, have engaged in a war of words over the cleric’s alleged defence of terrorists and bandits operating across the country.
The clash began after Omirhobo, a public interest lawyer, called on the Department of State Services (DSS), the police, the Office of the National Security Adviser, and the National Assembly committees on Defence, Human Rights and Judiciary to investigate and prosecute Gumi for what he described as his “consistent justification and defence of terrorists.”
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Omirhobo accused the cleric of repeatedly making statements that embolden criminal groups responsible for killings, kidnappings and mass displacement in the North.
“It is deeply alarming that Sheikh Ahmad Gumi continues to publicly justify and defend terrorists who are maiming, killing, kidnapping, raping and displacing innocent Nigerians, while describing them as ‘listening and reasonable human beings’ who should be pacified and not eliminated by force,” he wrote.
He warned that Gumi’s frequent visits to bandit camps and his open calls for dialogue with the criminals posed a threat to national security, saying such conduct amounted to promoting terrorism under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Citing sections of the 1999 Constitution, including 14(2)(b) and 45(1), the lawyer maintained that encouraging or defending acts of war against the Nigerian state was treasonable and punishable by life imprisonment or death.
Omirhobo’s call came amid public criticism of Gumi’s recent comments, including his call for Nigeria to sever diplomatic ties with the United States following former President Donald Trump’s warning to intervene militarily over alleged persecution of Christians.
But in a swift response, Gumi, in a Facebook post on Thursday, issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Omirhobo to retract his allegations and apologise.
“Chief Malcolm Emokiniovo Omirhobo should retract his defamatory allegations against me (Sheikh Dr. Ahmad Abubakar Gumi) and tender an unreserved apology in another press release within 48 hours, otherwise he will be charged to court for defamation and intent to stir religious crisis in Nigeria,” Gumi stated.
Unmoved by the threat, Omirhobo fired back in a counter-statement on Friday titled “Sheikh Gumi, I Did Not Defame You, Let’s Meet in Court.”
He insisted his petition was made in the public interest and based on verifiable facts.
“For the avoidance of doubt, my statement is not defamatory but a constitutionally protected commentary relying on the provisions of the Constitution and the Terrorism Prevention Act,” he said.
The lawyer clarified that he did not label Gumi a terrorist but merely urged security agencies to investigate his public statements and activities, describing his action as a civic duty.
“If Sheikh Gumi believes he has been defamed, the proper forum is a court of competent jurisdiction, not intimidation through threats or ultimatums,” he added. “No individual, cleric or otherwise, is above the law.”
The exchange has rekindled debate over Gumi’s role in the country’s security challenges, with opinions divided on social media.
While some Nigerians accused him of shielding terrorists and demanded his arrest, others defended him, saying his advocacy for dialogue was being misunderstood.
As of Friday night, neither the DSS nor the police had issued any statement on the lawyer’s petition or the altercation between the two men.