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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Culture & Society

Ibadan visitation: Nobody can stop me from going anywhere in Nigeria – Sheikh Gumi

From The Punch · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi asserted his right to visit any part of Nigeria, dismissing claims he aimed to Islamize Oyo State.
  • Gumi stated he visited Ibadan as a representative of northern Islamic scholars, not at the invitation of any South-West Muslim group.
  • His visit occurred amid reports of abduction victims denying demands for Sharia law implementation, which a Muslim group called a fabrication.

Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has responded to criticism surrounding his visit to Ibadan late last year, refuting claims that he intended to impose Northern Islamic ideologies on Oyo State. Gumi firmly stated that no one can prevent him from visiting any location within Nigeria. He clarified that his trip to Ibadan was not prompted by an invitation from any Muslim group or individual in the South-West.

I quite understand now how Islamophobia is shaping politics in SW (South-West) and why I was unnecessarily dragged into their dirty local politics.

— Sheikh Ahmad GumiCommenting on the political climate in the South-West and his involvement.

In a Facebook post, Gumi explained that he was in Ibadan representing the Coalition of Northern Muslim Ulama. This statement comes shortly after one of the victims of an abduction in Oyo State's Oriire Local Government Area denied reports that their captors demanded the implementation of Sharia law as a condition for their release. The victim stated that the gunmen sought the release of their associates held by Nigerian authorities, not the introduction of Sharia or a N1 billion ransom.

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) also rejected the alleged Sharia demand, labeling the report as false and suggesting it was fabricated by Islam's adversaries to tarnish its image. Gumi aligned with this position, writing, "I quite understand now how Islamophobia is shaping politics in SW (South-West) and why I was unnecessarily dragged into their dirty local politics."

I was in Ibadan, not by the invitation of any SW Muslim individual or group, but as a representative of the Coalition of Northern Muslim Ulama.

— Sheikh Ahmad GumiClarifying the purpose and nature of his visit to Ibadan.

Sheikh Gumi's visit to Ibadan on November 19, 2025, was as a special guest and speaker at the Southern Nigerian Ulama Summit held at the University of Ibadan. He also participated in a courtesy session with other prominent Muslim scholars from both Southern and Northern Nigeria. Gumi's assertion of his freedom to travel underscores the ongoing discourse surrounding religious and regional influences in Nigeria's political landscape.

Can anybody stop me from going anywhere in Nigeria?

— Sheikh Ahmad GumiAsserting his right to travel freely within Nigeria.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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