Wike: Group Slam Gumi Over Divisive Statements, Says FCT Doesn’t Belong to Northern Nigeria
- Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has received a firm reprimand for making a controversial statement about Nyesom Wike, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister
- In a widely circulated video, the Islamic cleric asserted that the FCT is a part of northern Nigeria and should be governed by Muslims rather than non-Muslims
- The Middle Belt Forum strongly criticised this statement on Sunday, October 22, asserting that the FCT rightfully belongs to the Gbagyi people, not the Hausa/Fulani
FCT, Abuja - The Middle Belt Forum has issued a cautionary message to Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, a contentious Islamic scholar from the northern region, advising him to refrain from making more incendiary remarks that could ignite tensions in the country.
In response to a viral video featuring Gumi, the group emphasized that Gumi does not represent a particular religion or ethnic group; instead, he should consider himself a representative of all Nigerians.
Source: Facebook
Dr. Bitrus Pogu, the national president of the forum, explained that they would have chosen to overlook Gumi's outburst were it not for the troubling interpretations that could be drawn from the video clips, mainly when other clerics express similar views in the Hausa language.
"that it is wrong for a Christian infidel (arne) to be appointed minister of the FCT; that the FCT belongs to the North, therefore the ministerial slot should be the exclusive preserve of the Muslim North; that Muslims should not be comfortable with non-Muslims appointed to head the security agencies as they can’t be trusted to be fair to all groups."
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Speaking further, Bogu, said:
“It is noted that several other Muslim clerics have followed Sheikh Gumi in spreading this vulgarity.
“For purposes of clarity, the Middle Belt Forum, an organisation comprising the ethnic nationalities of the Middle Belt region that stretches across the middle section of Nigeria, wishes to categorically state that the FCT is a part of the Middle Belt."
MBF to Gumi: FCT belongs to Gbagyi people
He also noted that the FCT belongs to the Gbagyi community, who were forcibly displaced from their ancestral lands by the Nigerian government to establish the present-day Federal Capital Territory, which Gumi and his group are currently asserting.
He said:
“Also, the Middle Belt Forum serves the peoples of the Middle Belt who are multi-religious (Christian, Muslim and traditional worshipers) living peacefully together."
“The FCT was originally inhabited by the Gbagyi people who were dislodged from their ancestral lands by the Nigerian state to create the Federal Capital Territory that Gumi and his gang are now laying claim to.”
Tension looms as ex-APC spokesperson asks Tinubu to arrest Sheikh Gumi
Meanwhile, Yekini Nabena, the former deputy national publicity secretary of the APC, has called on President Bola Tinubu to take action against the Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Nabena requested the apprehension of Gumi due to his strong criticism of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
Sheikh Gumi had previously labelled Wike as "Satanic" for his reception of the Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria and for hosting a press conference in his office.
Source: Legit.ng
