‘Nobody can stop me from visiting any part of Nigeria’ – Sheikh Gumi

Popular Islamic cleric, Ahmad Gumi, has responded to criticisms surrounding his visit to Ibadan late last year, rejecting allegations that he was attempting to spread northern ideologies or Islamise Oyo State.

The cleric said his trip to the South-West was being wrongly interpreted by some individuals, insisting that his presence in Ibadan had no political or religious agenda beyond his role as an Islamic scholar.

In a statement shared on his Facebook page on Tuesday, Gumi maintained that no one could prevent him from travelling to any part of Nigeria, stressing that he enjoys the same constitutional rights as every other citizen.

He also clarified that his visit was not at the invitation of any Muslim organisation, group or individual in the South-West region.

He made this known barely a day after one of the victims of the abduction in the Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State dismissed claims that their abductors demanded the implementation of Sharia law in the state as part of the conditions for releasing the victims.

Very Nigerian reports that the principal of Community High School, Esiele, Oyo State, Mrs Rachael Alamu, while speaking from captivity in a now-viral video, said the gunmen said they never demanded the introduction of Sharia law or a N1 billion ransom as reported in some quarters, but rather for the release of their associates currently in the custody of Nigerian authorities.

Also, the Muslim Rights Concern rejected the alleged demand for Sharia in a statement issued on Monday, describing the report as “a lie from the pit of Jahannam (hell)”.

MURIC argued that the so-called demand was inserted by enemies of Islam in the negotiation team to tarnish the image of Islam.

However, aligning with the Islamic group’s position, Gumi wrote, “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.

“Can anybody stop me from going anywhere in Nigeria?”

Recall that Gumi visited Ibadan on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, where he served as a special guest and speaker at the Southern Nigerian Ulama Summit.

The event took place at the University of Ibadan.

During his visit, he also attended a courtesy session alongside other prominent Southern and Northern Muslim scholars.

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