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Islamic cleric, Gumi and lawyer over alleged terrorists’ defence
Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, and a human rights lawyer, Malcolm Omirhobo, have clashed over the cleric’s alleged defence of terrorists and bandits operating across the country.
The trading of words reportedly started when Omirhobo, a public interest advocate, urged the Department of State Services, DSS, the police, Office of the National Security Adviser, and the National Assembly Committees on Defence, Human Rights, and Judiciary to probe and prosecute Gumi over what he termed “consistent justification and defence of terrorists.”
The lawyer, in a Facebook post on Tuesday, accused the Islamic cleric of repeatedly making public statements that promote and embolden criminal groups responsible for killings, kidnappings, and mass displacement in the North.
“It is deeply alarming that Sheikh Ahmad Gumi continues to publicly justify and defend terrorists who are maiming, killing, kidnapping, raping, and displacing innocent Nigerians while describing them as ‘listening and reasonable human beings’ who should be pacified and not eliminated by force,” Omirhobo wrote.
The lawyer, however, warned that Gumi’s frequent visits to bandit camps and his open calls for dialogue with the criminals constitute a serious threat to national security.
Omirhobo further cautioned that such conduct amounts to promoting terrorism in violation of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Quoting relevant sections of the 1999 Constitution, including Sections 14(2)(b) and 45(1), Omirhobo argued that “encouraging or defending acts of war against the Nigerian state is treasonable and punishable by life imprisonment or death.”
His comments are coming following growing public criticism of Gumi’s recent utterances, especially his call for Nigeria to cut off diplomatic ties with the US following President Donald Trump’s threat to intervene militarily over alleged persecution of Christians in Nigeria.
However, in a swift response, Gumi took to his Facebook page on Thursday to issue a 48-hour ultimatum to the lawyer, demanding a retraction and apology.
“Chief Malcolm Emokiniovo Omirhobo should retract his defamatory allegations against me (Sheikh Dr. Ahmad Abubakar Gumi) and tender an unreserved apology in another press release within 48 hours, otherwise he will be charged to court for defamation and intent to stir religious crisis in Nigeria,” Gumi warned.
Omirhobo, however, refused to back down.
In a counter-statement released on Friday, titled, “Sheikh Gumi, I Did Not Defame You, Let’s Meet in Court,” the lawyer insisted that his call for investigation was made in the public interest and based on verifiable facts.
“For the avoidance of doubt, my statement is not defamatory but a constitutionally protected commentary relying on the provisions of the Constitution and the Terrorism Prevention Act,” Omirhobo said.
He clarified that he did not accuse Gumi of being a terrorist but merely urged security agencies to probe his public activities and statements, describing the move as a lawful civic duty.
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POLITICS: Wike-led PDP Faction Takes Over Party Secretariat In Oyo
Members of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, loyal to the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, have taken over the secretariat of the party in Oyo State.
The secretariat, located in the Molete area of Ibadan, was in the custody of the faction loyal to Governor Seyi Makinde of the state until Thursday when the members loyal to Wike took over the premises.
DAILY POST gathered that the PDP members stormed the secretariat on Thursday and occupied the premises with hundreds of members of the party in attendance.
PDP chairman in the state, Professor Abdulrahman Akinoso, confirmed the development to DAILY POST.
Akinoso in a telephone conversation with DAILY POST on Thursday, insisted that the real owners have taken over the premises.
He said, “It is true. It is not faction. It is PDP. We have taken over the premises. It was in the morning. We were there in the morning. We just left the premises. We are now in control. We have taken over the premises.” .…For more, Complete your reading.
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POLITICS: Foreign Recognition Won’t Secure Re-election – ADC Tells Tinubu
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has told President Bola Tinubu that foreign recognition will not secure him another term in office, insisting that Nigerians will judge his administration by its performance, not by diplomatic gestures from other world leaders.
In a statement issued on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party reacted to the Presidency’s celebration of a purported letter from United States President Donald Trump to Tinubu.
The ADC said presenting the letter as an endorsement of Tinubu’s administration was misleading, stressing that diplomatic correspondence between world leaders is a normal part of international relations.
“The Presidency’s attempt to present President Donald Trump’s letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as though it were a referendum on the state of the nation is not correct,” the party said.
According to the ADC, countries cooperate, leaders exchange views and letters regularly, adding that such communication does not amount to an endorsement of a government’s performance.
The party accused the Tinubu administration of being desperate for international validation instead of focusing on solving Nigeria’s challenges.
“It is apparent that this administration is desperate to seize upon any gesture of international recognition as proof of success at home,” the statement said.
The ADC maintained that “a letter from a foreign president, however well-intentioned, cannot substitute for the verdict of the Nigerian people.”
It added that the true measure of any government is not what foreign leaders say about it, but what citizens experience daily.
The opposition party argued that Trump’s letter had not changed the reality facing millions of Nigerians, especially those affected by insecurity.
“For the millions of Nigerians still living with the consequences of this government’s failures, President Trump’s communication changes nothing. It did not say that insecurity has been overcome or that Nigerians can once again travel freely, farm safely and sleep without fear,” the party stated.
The ADC also pointed to the continued captivity of hundreds of women and children in parts of Borno State and Kaiama in Kwara State, while many communities in Benue and other parts of the country still live in constant fear because of insecurity.
The party further noted that, despite the Presidency’s celebration of the letter, the United States Department of State has not changed its travel advisory for Nigeria.
According to the ADC, several Nigerian states remain under Level 3 and Level 4 travel advisories, with American citizens still being urged to reconsider or avoid travel because of crime, terrorism, kidnapping and civil unrest.
“We therefore wonder how correspondence from a government that designates several Nigerian states as ‘Do Not Travel’ areas can be regarded as an endorsement,” the party said.
It argued that the travel advisory shows the international assessment of Nigeria’s security situation remains different from the image the Presidency is trying to project.
The ADC said Nigerians are more concerned about their safety than diplomatic exchanges between presidents.
“The daily reality of Nigerians is shaped not by diplomatic correspondence, but by the guarantee that they can go about their lives without falling victim to violent crime or terrorism,” it said.
The party stressed that Trump’s letter was simply communication between two presidents and “does not amount to an endorsement of this government’s overall performance.”
It urged the Tinubu administration to focus less on celebrating diplomatic courtesies and more on delivering measurable improvements in the lives of Nigerians.
“Ultimately, Nigerians will not judge this government by the letters it receives from foreign capitals. They will judge it by whether .…For more, Complete your reading.
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