Arrest Sheikh Gumi, call him to order!- Presidential Aspitant, Funmilayi-Davies

A frontline female politician activist, university Don and Presidential candidate of Mass Action Joint Alliance (MAJA) in 2019, Funmilayo Adesanya–Davies has urged the Federal Government to as a matter of urgency arrest popular Islamic Scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi over his recent statement on bandits.

Gunmi had recently urged Nigerian electorate not to “Vote for those who will not fight bandits if elected into office in 2023,” describing bandits as “our people”.

With less than 2 months to the 2023 general elections, popular Islamic Scholar, in 27th December, 2022, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has told his congregation to vote for those who will not fight bandits if elected into office in 2023, Gumi speaking in Hausa.

In a sermon, the controversial Islamic cleric urged Nigerians to vote for leaders who would negotiate with bandits when elected into office. Describing bandits as “our people,” Gumi said Nigeria’s next set of leaders should negotiate and give bandits what they want for peace to reign.

“Don’t vote for those who will fight bandits. The fighters (bandits) are our people. So please vote for those who, after attaining power, will call and negotiate with our people (bandits) so as to give them what they want for peace to reign,” he said.

In a swift reaction, Funmilayo Adesanya–Davies said, it’s so sad that Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has the effrontery to speak boldly in that manner in a country that has a sitting government, “How could he? Has he gone nuts? He is supposed to be an Islamic leader or is he a terrorist himself?

“Bandits have been ravaging some Northern States like Yobe, Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Kano, Kaduna, Plateau, and Taraba over the years. They have abducted and killed some persons while collecting ransom worth millions of naira.”

Just on Christmas day, bandits reportedly killed one person and abducted 45 people in Angwan Aku community in Kajuru LGA of Kaduna state.

The attack was said to have occurred on Sunday morning when residents of the community were preparing to go to church to celebrate Christmas.

The gunmen were said to have stormed the village on motorcycles.

Gumi a prominent, yet controversial, Muslim cleric acting as a “self-appointed middleman between bandits and the government is still making an headline on “Vote Those Who Won’t Fight Bandits, They Are Our People,” it’s so so sad to read”!

“Once again, we could recall the quote of late Gen. Sani Abacha: ‘Any insurgency that lasts more than two hours, a government official has a hand in it” – as quoted by Ibrahim B. Babangida.

“Most of the successful organized criminal organizations always depend heavily on some government officials for information for their operations and survival.
“Gumi should immediately be arrested, charged and convicted”, Funmilayi-Davies declared.

Gumi is the eldest son to late Shaykh Abubakar Gumi.

He was born in Kano state.

He came from a gene analogy of Islamic scholars with his father being the first Grand Khadi of the old Northern Region.

“That Gumi could make such a news headline and still be working freely on the street of Nigeria while the government is said to be working frantically and assiduously to fight against insurgency, terrorism and banditry in the country is so contradictory, this is an unfortunate case of government negligence. We hope the DSS are still on duty.” Adesanya-Davies added. We are watching!