Rights Group Invokes 2022 Terrorism Act, Demands Probe Of Sheikh Gumi
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has called on Nigerian security agencies to arrest and investigate prominent Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, over recent televised comments the group described as sympathetic to terrorists and capable of undermining the country’s ongoing counter terrorism campaign.
In a statement issued on Saturday by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, the civil rights organisation accused the Federal Government of maintaining what it termed a “dangerous silence” over remarks credited to the Kaduna based cleric during a recent television appearance. HURIWA said Nigerians were “shocked” by comments allegedly made by Gumi on May 19, 2026, in which he reportedly urged citizens to learn how to live with armed groups while suggesting that bandits depend on kidnapping proceeds to sustain operations against security forces.
According to publicly circulated clips of the interview, Gumi was quoted as saying that “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.”
HURIWA described the remarks as “reckless and provocative,” warning that any statement perceived to rationalise terrorism could embolden criminal networks already responsible for widespread bloodshed across the country. The organisation insisted that no influential public figure should normalise violence at a moment when communities are under siege, schoolchildren are being abducted, and farmers are being displaced from ancestral lands.
The group backed an earlier demand by activist lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, for the cleric to be prosecuted under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. Section 1(3) of that legislation defines terrorism broadly to include acts willfully committed in furtherance of an ideology, while subsequent sections criminalise actions or statements that support, justify, or facilitate terrorist activity. The law also prescribes life imprisonment and, in qualifying cases, the death penalty.
“The fight against terrorism cannot be selective. A nation that punishes one set of voices while shielding others destroys the moral foundation of justice and weakens public trust in the rule of law,” HURIWA stated.
The advocacy group further accused authorities of applying double standards in the handling of security related rhetoric, alleging that certain individuals enjoy protection while others face aggressive prosecution.
The controversy unfolds against a backdrop of deepening insecurity. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, no fewer than 614,937 Nigerians were killed and over 2.2 million abducted between May 2023 and April 2024, with citizens reportedly paying N2.23 trillion in ransom within the same period. SBM Intelligence further reported 2,938 kidnappings in the North West between July 2024 and June 2025, with Zamfara recording 1,203 cases, Kaduna 629, Katsina 566, and Sokoto 358. Human Rights Watch documented over 402 abductions, mostly schoolchildren, across four north central states in November 2025 alone.
HURIWA therefore urged the Department of State Services, the Office of the National Security Adviser, and the Attorney General of the Federation to launch an immediate investigation into Gumi’s comments and determine whether any provisions of Nigerian law had been violated.
The organisation maintained that democracy could not thrive in any society where terrorism is normalised through rhetoric or treated with political caution.