Prominent Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Abubakar Gumi, has given Lagos human rights lawyer, Chief Malcolm Emokiniovo Omirhobo, 48 hours to retract what he described as “defamatory and inciting remarks” or face legal action.
In a statement released Thursday, Gumi accused Omirhobo of making “false, malicious, and reckless claims designed to damage his reputation and provoke religious tension.”
The cleric warned that failure to issue a retraction and public apology within the stipulated time would result in a defamation suit.
The threat follows Omirhobo’s earlier public statement titled “Terrorism Apology Is a Crime: Government Must Investigate and Prosecute Sheikh Ahmad Gumi.”
In it, the lawyer accused Gumi of “publicly justifying and defending terrorists who are maiming, killing, kidnapping, raping, and displacing innocent Nigerians.”
Omirhobo, citing the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, as well as constitutional provisions and international human rights charters, urged the Federal Government to launch an immediate investigation into the cleric’s public statements.
Omirhobo Replies: ‘I Stand By My Statement’
Responding swiftly on Friday, Omirhobo dismissed the threat and insisted his comments were lawful. “My statement is not defamatory but a constitutionally protected commentary made in the public interest,” he declared.
The activist clarified that he never accused Sheikh Gumi of being a terrorist but merely called for an investigation into “his public utterances, engagements, and advocacy on behalf of armed terrorists.”
“If Sheikh Gumi believes he has been defamed, the proper forum is a court of competent jurisdiction, not intimidation through threats or ultimatums,” Omirhobo said. “I stand by my statement. I refuse to retract it. No individual, cleric or otherwise, is above the law.”
He added that the defence or pacification of violent groups raises serious national security concerns that cannot be ignored.
Sheikh Gumi has often courted controversy over his public calls for negotiation with armed bandits and his criticism of the military’s counterterrorism operations.
In past interviews, he has argued that dialogue—not force—remains the most effective way to end Nigeria’s northern insurgency.
His stance has been widely condemned by rights groups and security analysts who see it as a form of sympathy for terrorist elements, though Gumi insists his position is merely for the sake of peacebuilding and conflict resolution.
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