All Progressives Congress chieftain, Joe Igbokwe, has accused Kaduna‑based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, of talking and acting as though he is the field commander of terrorists and bandits operating in northern Nigeria.
In a post on his X handle on Sunday, December 28, Igbokwe wondered why Gumi appears to operate without consequence despite his repeated public interventions that many Nigerians see as sympathetic to armed groups.
He wrote: “Is Sheik Gumi above the law? I have heard him speaking in favour of the bandits. I have seen him having a meeting with well armed bandits.
“He speaks as if he is their commander. His actions and deeds suggest that he is above the law.”
Gumi has been especially vocal following the recent US airstrikes in Sokoto State, carried out in collaboration with the Nigerian government and targeted at ISIS and Lakurawa terrorists.
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In media appearances and social media posts, he has questioned the strikes and, in the past, repeatedly urged the government to negotiate with armed groups rather than confront them militarily.
Over the last three years, Gumi has courted controversy by travelling into forest enclaves to meet heavily armed bandit leaders, granting interviews in which he argued that many of them were “victims of injustice” and should be offered amnesty and incentives.
He has also criticised military operations in the North‑West, at one point suggesting that airstrikes risked “killing innocent Fulani” and could drive more youths into banditry.
His advocacy prompted calls from civil society groups and some lawmakers for his arrest or questioning, with critics accusing him of normalising or rationalising banditry.
Security agencies have so far avoided a direct public clash with him, usually saying they are “monitoring” his activities.