The tension just went up several notches. Human rights lawyer and serial agitator Deji Adeyanju has come out blazing — this time pointing his finger squarely at controversial Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, demanding that President Bola Tinubu’s administration arrest him without delay. And the reason? A viral video that has tongues wagging from Abuja to Kaduna and beyond. 👀
In the video that has been spreading like wildfire across Nigerian social media, Gumi allegedly made comments that many are interpreting as sympathetic toward Fulani herdsmen and the bandits terrorising communities across Nigeria’s northwest. Adeyanju, never one to mince words, says those comments cross a dangerous line — and that the federal government has a duty to act. Let that sink in.
Adeyanju’s position is simple and brutal: if an ordinary Nigerian citizen said what Gumi allegedly said, security operatives would have been at their door before sunrise. So why, he asks, is Gumi walking free? It is a question that many Nigerians — especially those who have lost loved ones to bandit attacks — are asking with increasing anger and frustration. And here is the thing: Gumi is no stranger to controversy. He has previously engaged in negotiations with bandits, a move that earned him both praise and fierce condemnation in equal measure. Read the original report here.
Critics of Adeyanju will argue that calling for the arrest of a cleric based on a viral video is itself dangerous territory — one that could set a precedent for silencing religious voices. His supporters, however, insist that sympathy for criminals who kidnap, kill, and terrorise innocent Nigerians is not protected speech — it is a national security matter. The debate is messy, as Nigerian politics always is, but the stakes could not be higher.
As of now, the Tinubu administration has not responded publicly to Adeyanju’s demand. Gumi himself has not issued a formal statement addressing the uproar. Meanwhile, Nigerians on X (formerly Twitter) have turned the matter into a full-blown debate — with hashtags flying and opinions splitting sharply along regional and religious lines. Business as usual in this our Nigeria.
🔎 GossipShop Verdict
We have seen Gumi walk this controversial tightrope before, and the government’s silence each time only emboldens the chaos. Whether or not Adeyanju’s call leads to any action, the bigger question Tinubu must answer is this — when will Nigeria stop treating banditry as a negotiation and start treating it as the terrorism it truly is? We will be watching closely.
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