Sheikh Gumi Sues Two Facebook Users Over Alleged Defamation, Says False Threat Claims Endangered His Life
Renowned Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has instituted a criminal defamation case against two Facebook users, George Udom and Bello Isiaka, at the Chief Magistrate Court in Kaduna State over publications he says were falsely attributed to him and seriously damaged his reputation. The suit, filed on December 24, 2025, followed a Facebook post alleging that Gumi threatened Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, over ongoing military operations against bandits.
According to court documents, the defendants allegedly published a statement claiming that Gumi warned that the minister’s family in Zango Kataf, Southern Kaduna, would be eliminated if military offensives against bandits continued. Through his lawyer, Suleiman Lere, Sheikh Gumi categorically denied ever making or endorsing such remarks, describing the publication as malicious, reckless and deliberately crafted to portray him as a terrorist sympathiser and a threat to national security.
Gumi maintained that the false claim gravely harmed his standing as a cleric known for advocating peace, dialogue and restraint, while also exposing him to possible reprisals from security agencies and members of the public. His legal team warned that the era of hiding behind social media platforms to spread falsehoods and destroy reputations was coming to an end.
The criminal summons cited provisions of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017, under which the alleged offences attract serious penalties upon conviction. The case has further drawn attention to the growing problem of misinformation and defamation on social media in Nigeria, particularly against high-profile figures.
Sheikh Gumi, who has previously engaged armed bandits as part of peace-building efforts in northern Nigeria, reiterated that he stepped back from such engagements after the federal government designated bandits as terrorists in 2021. He stressed that while his past interventions were aimed at peace and economic stability, they exposed him to significant personal risks he is no longer willing to take.
Renowned Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has instituted a criminal defamation case against two Facebook users, George Udom and Bello Isiaka, at the Chief Magistrate Court in Kaduna State over publications he says were falsely attributed to him and seriously damaged his reputation. The suit, filed on December 24, 2025, followed a Facebook post alleging that Gumi threatened Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, over ongoing military operations against bandits.
According to court documents, the defendants allegedly published a statement claiming that Gumi warned that the minister’s family in Zango Kataf, Southern Kaduna, would be eliminated if military offensives against bandits continued. Through his lawyer, Suleiman Lere, Sheikh Gumi categorically denied ever making or endorsing such remarks, describing the publication as malicious, reckless and deliberately crafted to portray him as a terrorist sympathiser and a threat to national security.
Gumi maintained that the false claim gravely harmed his standing as a cleric known for advocating peace, dialogue and restraint, while also exposing him to possible reprisals from security agencies and members of the public. His legal team warned that the era of hiding behind social media platforms to spread falsehoods and destroy reputations was coming to an end.
The criminal summons cited provisions of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017, under which the alleged offences attract serious penalties upon conviction. The case has further drawn attention to the growing problem of misinformation and defamation on social media in Nigeria, particularly against high-profile figures.
Sheikh Gumi, who has previously engaged armed bandits as part of peace-building efforts in northern Nigeria, reiterated that he stepped back from such engagements after the federal government designated bandits as terrorists in 2021. He stressed that while his past interventions were aimed at peace and economic stability, they exposed him to significant personal risks he is no longer willing to take.
Sheikh Gumi Sues Two Facebook Users Over Alleged Defamation, Says False Threat Claims Endangered His Life
Renowned Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has instituted a criminal defamation case against two Facebook users, George Udom and Bello Isiaka, at the Chief Magistrate Court in Kaduna State over publications he says were falsely attributed to him and seriously damaged his reputation. The suit, filed on December 24, 2025, followed a Facebook post alleging that Gumi threatened Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, over ongoing military operations against bandits.
According to court documents, the defendants allegedly published a statement claiming that Gumi warned that the minister’s family in Zango Kataf, Southern Kaduna, would be eliminated if military offensives against bandits continued. Through his lawyer, Suleiman Lere, Sheikh Gumi categorically denied ever making or endorsing such remarks, describing the publication as malicious, reckless and deliberately crafted to portray him as a terrorist sympathiser and a threat to national security.
Gumi maintained that the false claim gravely harmed his standing as a cleric known for advocating peace, dialogue and restraint, while also exposing him to possible reprisals from security agencies and members of the public. His legal team warned that the era of hiding behind social media platforms to spread falsehoods and destroy reputations was coming to an end.
The criminal summons cited provisions of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017, under which the alleged offences attract serious penalties upon conviction. The case has further drawn attention to the growing problem of misinformation and defamation on social media in Nigeria, particularly against high-profile figures.
Sheikh Gumi, who has previously engaged armed bandits as part of peace-building efforts in northern Nigeria, reiterated that he stepped back from such engagements after the federal government designated bandits as terrorists in 2021. He stressed that while his past interventions were aimed at peace and economic stability, they exposed him to significant personal risks he is no longer willing to take.
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