Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has dismissed reports claiming that he was targeted for assassination by the United States during recent airstrikes on terrorists in Sokoto State, describing the reports as false and misleading.
Speaking in an interview with Leadership, Gumi clarified that the video circulating online was taken out of context and relates to a past incident involving threats from the Boko Haram insurgent group in 2012, not any current security situation.
He explained that the viral clip referenced a lecture he delivered in a mosque, recounting how Boko Haram had allegedly planned to eliminate him over a decade ago. According to him, the incident has no connection to recent military operations or foreign involvement.
“There is a fake news going viral now that wrongly claims that I said I was targeted by the US attack on Nigerian soil,” Gumi said. “I never said so, and I never thought of such a possibility. I am comfortably staying in my home with my family without fear, intimidation, or apprehension.”
The cleric stressed that there is presently no threat to his life, adding that he remains peaceful and unafraid.
Gumi urged media organisations that published the reports to retract them and issue public apologies, insisting that the claims were a misrepresentation of his words.
“I didn’t say anyone wanted to eliminate me now. What I said was about an incident in 2012. The report flying around is false,” he stated.
The cleric reaffirmed his commitment to peaceful living and warned against the spread of misinformation capable of causing unnecessary panic.