Rev. Nick Donnelly, a UK-based Catholic cleric, has called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue an arrest warrant for Nigerian Muslim cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, citing his alleged support for extremist activities.
Donnelly made the appeal in a statement on his X account on Monday, following Gumi’s controversial remarks denying the existence of Christian genocide in Nigeria. In a viral video, Gumi stated, “Herdsmen are not like the Indigenous People of Biafra; they are kidnapping children to make money. Let’s be fair with them.”
Reacting to the comments, Donnelly argued that Gumi should face trial for crimes against humanity at The Hague. “Gumi supports ‘herdsmen’, aka Islamist terrorists, kidnapping children to make money. The ICC needs to issue an arrest warrant on charges of crimes against humanity. Gumi needs to stand trial in The Hague,” he wrote.
The call comes amid heightened scrutiny of Nigeria’s justice system following the life sentence handed to IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu for terrorism. Lawyer Malcolm Omirhobo recently highlighted the perceived double standards, noting that Kanu’s conviction “exposed the disturbing reality of Nigeria’s two-tiered justice system that punishes some citizens with ruthless efficiency while shielding others who commit equal or worse offences in full public view.”