Gumi Under Fire Over Remarks on Bandits’ Funding
Controversial Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has drawn fierce public condemnation after comments he made during a television interview appeared to frame ransom payments as a financial lifeline for armed groups currently under pressure from Nigerian security forces.
In remarks aired on AIT News, Gumi was quoted as saying that criminals involved in banditry required funds to sustain their operations amid ongoing military pressure.
“The terrorists need all the money they’re getting from kidnapping. It’s not like they are living luxurious lives; the government is putting too much pressure on them so they need money to finance their war machines,” he reportedly said.
He went further: “If they leave banditry, they won’t have source of financing their war machine,” a statement many interpreted as an indirect justification for continued criminal activity.
The remarks ignited immediate and widespread backlash across Nigerian social media platforms, with thousands condemning what they described as open sympathy for armed groups responsible for mass killings and kidnappings across the country.
On X, user @UmehWrites wrote: “He actually said ‘The govt is bombing us’ like ‘US’… he’s announcing he’s part of the terrorists. I try to avoid this man’s videos cos I don’t know how he still hasn’t been locked behind bars.”
@mc1yke added: “Boko Haram is a state sponsored terrorist group… why would a government let people like Gumi work freely in a country like Nigeria where Boko Haram is killing thousands?”
@SwitchNigeriaNG wrote: “Tinubu would never take him out because like Miyetti Allah… I however believe, if he wins second tenure, he might damn the consequences and put people like Gumi in jail.”
@NigIsland described the remarks as “a total disgrace,” adding: “These people are not struggling, they are cowards who should be stopped.”
@Benjinku referenced foreign precedent, noting: “Saudi Arabia arrested and locked this terrorist up… but Nigeria is allowing him to move around freely and openly sympathise with terrorists on TV.”
@KingByronX said: “I genuinely don’t understand why anyone would make a statement like this when innocent Nigerians are suffering daily from kidnapping and terrorism.”
@PhoenixTv01 reacted more sharply, describing Gumi as “busy defending perpetrators of this evil” while “lives are being lost daily.”
@FubaraD1 raised concerns over selective justice, writing: “Why is this still walking free out there? This is a double standard of justice.”
Gumi has a long and contested history of engaging with armed groups in Nigeria’s northwest. He has previously served as an informal mediator between the government and bandit leaders, a role that has earned him both praise from some quarters and intense scrutiny from others.
As of the time of this report, neither Gumi nor his representatives had issued any formal response to the public backlash. The debate over his comments and calls for official accountability continued to intensify across online platforms.