“Some Middle Belt Groups Are Burying Empty Coffins to Fake Christian Genocide” — Sheikh Gumi

Controversial Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has accused certain groups in Nigeria’s Middle Belt of fabricating claims of Christian genocide by “burying empty coffins” to deceive both the public and the international community.

In a post on his verified Facebook page, Gumi alleged that the supposed mass killings of Christians were being staged to create what he described as a false narrative of persecution. He cited a message from a doctor claiming that some groups were conducting fake burials to manipulate global opinion. “They are burying empty coffins and recording the process as if real victims were killed,” he quoted, adding that such acts were “desperation at its peak” and a “disgrace.”

His remarks follow heightened international focus on religious tensions in Nigeria after President Donald Trump’s recent comments alleging widespread persecution of Christians and suggesting possible U.S. intervention.

Responding to speculations that he left Nigeria due to Trump’s statements, Gumi said his ongoing stay in Turkey had been planned weeks earlier. “I got my Turkish visa on the 16th October 2025, and Trump’s irresponsible tweet lying about ‘Christian genocide’ in Nigeria was on the 1st Nov. 2025,” he wrote, insisting he did not flee the country. “Trump has no power over us; it’s just your sick mind bowing down to him in worship.”

Gumi further described the genocide allegations as part of a deliberate attempt to tarnish Islam and discredit the enforcement of Sharia law. “The alleged ‘Christian genocide’ in Nigeria is all about a well-drawn-out plan to attack the Shariah Law and Islamophobia,” he claimed.

He also called on President Bola Tinubu to take a firm diplomatic stance against Trump, saying the remarks amounted to a “direct affront” to Nigeria’s sovereignty. “For Trump to threaten a sovereign country with military attack is a profound disrespect to our authority,” he said, urging the government to summon the U.S. ambassador and demand an official retraction.

Gumi concluded by advising that Nigeria diversify its international partnerships, stressing that “the world is no longer unipolar” and that the country “has friends elsewhere who respect our sovereignty.”