Sheikh Gumi drags two Facebook users to court over alleged death threats, defamation

Islamic cleric, Sheikh Abubakar Gumi, has dragged two Facebook users to the Chief Magistrate Court in Kaduna State, over alleged death threats and defamation.

The case, filed on December 24, 2025, with suit number KMD/685/25, stems from controversial Facebook posts which Sheikh Gumi said have put his life and reputation in serious danger.

According to court documents posted by the cleric on his Facebook page, the defendants — George Udom and Bello Isiaka — allegedly published a post on December 23, 2025, falsely attributing a threatening statement to Sheikh Gumi.

The post claimed that Sheikh Gumi warned the Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, saying: “If the Minister of Defence Christopher Musa don’t stop his military offensive against bandits, his entire family in Zango Katab in Southern Kaduna will be eliminated.”

Through his legal team, led by Suleiman Danlami Lere, Esq., Sheikh Gumi denied ever making such a statement

He told the court that the defendants allegedly used his name and photograph to frame him as a supporter of terrorism and a threat to national security.

The Kaduna-based cleric argues that the publication is especially dangerous given his long-standing image as a cleric who preaches peace, warning that the false claims paint him as a “troublemaker” and expose him to possible retaliation from security agencies or angry members of the public.

The summons cites several sections of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law 2017, and if found guilty, the defendants could face serious legal consequences.

Sheikh Gumi insists the case is meant to draw a clear line for online misconduct, declaring:

“The era of hiding behind a smartphone to destroy the reputation of others is over. This case serves as a notice to all who intend to post defamatory or false content: the law will find you, and the prison gates are open for those who choose character assassination over truth.”

The cleric has long faced public backlash for his engagements with bandits. Earlier in December, he claimed that kidnapping schoolchildren is a “lesser evil” than killing soldiers.

“Saying that kidnapping children is a lesser evil than killing your soldiers, definitely is lesser evil. Killing is worse than, but they are all evil. It’s just a lesser evil. Not all evils are of the same power,” he said.

He also declared that the Nigerian military is incapable of defeating the country’s bandit groups through force, insisting that negotiations remain the only viable path to ending the escalating insecurity in the northwest and beyond.

Gumi argued that modern armies worldwide struggle against guerrilla fighters and that Nigeria is no exception.

“But even the military says that in dealing with this civil unrest and criminality, only 25% is kinetic action; the rest depends on the government, politics, and local communities. The military cannot do everything,” he said.

“Where have you ever seen the military defeat guerrilla fighters? Nowhere.”