“I Don’t Meet Terrorists Alone; Government Knows Every One of Them by Name and Location” – Sheikh Gumi

Kaduna-based Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Abubakar Gumi has claimed that the Nigerian government has full knowledge of all terrorists in the country, including their identities and locations.

Speaking in a DRtv interview, Gumi defended his meetings with armed groups, stressing that he never approaches them alone. “I do not go to the terrorists alone. I call the Police, the security, everybody. I will go to the Emirs of that place. In fact, when we were going to one terrorist, I went even with women to the place. You didn’t see it because the camera was not concentrating there, but I do not go alone,” he said.

Gumi has also alleged foreign involvement in Nigeria’s recent security crises. In December 2025, he told BBC Hausa that the surge in coordinated attacks suggests external support to armed groups, pointing to incidents along the Abuja–Kaduna highway and in Birnin Gwari.

“There was a statement made by some foreign nations, and for long we have suspected these terrorists and extremists, and from the nature of their weapons, we realized they receive foreign support. These are powerful and wealthy foreign individuals who have the means to penetrate and interfere with the affairs of other nations,” he added, citing the suspicious timing of the attacks.

On his efforts to negotiate with armed groups, Gumi said the previous administration hindered his attempts to prevent kidnappings and theft through religious outreach. “When we tried to reach them and tell them it is forbidden to steal, forbidden to kidnap, the government did not support us. Had that support been given, this issue would have been resolved,” he stated.

Gumi emphasized that his work is motivated by religious duty and conflict resolution, not sympathy for armed actors. “Our religion does not condone oppression. All what we are doing is for the sake of Allah,” he said.