Prominent Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has condemned what he described as false and misleading reports linking him to alleged United States airstrikes in Sokoto State, calling on media organisations and online platforms behind the claims to withdraw the stories and issue public apologies.
Reacting to a viral video circulating on social media, Gumi dismissed suggestions that he was a target of any foreign military action, stressing that the reports were based on a gross misinterpretation of an old sermon and had no connection to recent security operations in Nigeria.
In an interview with Leadership, the Kaduna-based cleric clarified that the video being shared online was not recent and referred to an incident that occurred more than a decade ago. He explained that his remarks related to a threat allegedly made against him by the Boko Haram insurgent group in 2012, not to any present danger or involvement of the United States.
Gumi faulted some media outlets for linking his past experience to current events, saying such reporting amounted to the spread of fake news capable of causing unnecessary fear and confusion.
“There is a fake report going viral claiming that I said I was targeted by a US attack on Nigerian soil,” he said. “I never said that, and I never imagined such a situation. I am peacefully in my home with my family, without fear or intimidation.”
He further explained that the confusion arose from a mosque lecture in which he recounted how, in August 2012, he was informed that Boko Haram had planned to assassinate him. According to him, the alleged attackers died when the explosive they were carrying detonated near his residence.
The cleric insisted that the incident was purely historical and should not have been presented as a current threat to his life. He urged journalists and media organisations that published the reports to act responsibly by retracting the stories and apologising to the public.
“I advise all media houses that carried the fake story to publicly retract it and tender their apologies,” Gumi said. “I did not say anyone is trying to eliminate me now. My life is not under threat, and I am not afraid of anyone.”
Gumi maintained that he remains calm and safe, emphasising that the viral claims do not reflect his present reality and warning against the dangers of recycling old statements without proper context.
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