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According to report by Vanguard on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, popular Islamic cleric, Ahmad Gumi, has reacted to criticism surrounding his earlier visit to Ibadan, rejecting claims that he was involved in promoting the Islamisation agenda in Oyo State or pushing northern religious influence into the South-West.
Gumi maintained that no person or group has the authority to restrict his movement within Nigeria, stressing that his trip to Ibadan was neither arranged nor sponsored by any Muslim organisation or individual based in the South-West.
In a Facebook post shared on Tuesday, the cleric clarified that he attended the event as a representative of a coalition of northern Islamic scholars, not as a guest of any local group.
He wrote that he had come to better understand what he described as rising Islamophobic narratives influencing political discussions in the South-West, adding that this was partly why his visit became controversial.
According to him, “I was in Ibadan not at the invitation of any South-West Muslim individual or group, but as a representative of the Coalition of Northern Muslim Ulama. Can anybody stop me from going anywhere in Nigeria?”
His remarks followed reports linked to a kidnapping incident in Oyo State, where a victim later denied claims that abductors demanded the introduction of Sharia law as a condition for release.
The victim also dismissed reports of a N1 billion ransom demand, stating instead that the kidnappers were primarily seeking the release of their detained associates.
Gumi’s visit to Ibadan took place on November 19, 2025, when he attended the Southern Nigerian Ulama Summit held at the University of Ibadan.
During the visit, he also took part in a courtesy session involving prominent Islamic scholars from both northern and southern Nigeria.
The cleric’s comments come amid ongoing public debate over his engagements and the interpretation of his statements, which have repeatedly drawn mixed reactions across different regions of the country.
