Controversial Islamic scholar Sheikh Ahmad Gumi on Thursday invoked divine wrath against those responsible for fuelling Nigeria’s protracted insecurity, in a strongly worded prayer that targets sponsors, beneficiaries and even those indifferent to the bloodshed ravaging the nation.
In a Facebook post entitled “My prayer today”, the Kaduna-based cleric appealed directly to God to expose and punish all involved in the crisis.
“Ya Allah! Whoever initiated or is behind this insecurity and bloodbath in Nigeria, whether foreign or citizen, or has any benefit, material or otherwise, or is even happy that people are being killed, or willingly did nothing to stop it, may by Your divine power be exposed and Your anger poured upon them and punished immediately without harm to the innocent. Amin. Say Amin!” Gumi wrote.
The prayer quickly drew responses on social media, with some users accusing Gumi of past sympathy towards bandits. One commenter, Sani Badamasi, remarked: “Let me tell you something, you may not know with all due respect, sir, telling the bandits that they were cheated is part of encouragement, sympathising with them is also part of it, not only giving them weapons or money. There are some words that are more dangerous than weapons.”
Gumi replied briefly: “Just say Amin.”
Another user, Endless Joe, stated: “Yes, I agree with this your prayers, anyone who in one way or the other is trying to speak or has spoken in favour of the enemies of Nigeria AKA ‘Bandits’ will not see the end of this year.”
The cleric responded: “Amin to all the enemies of Nigeria, bandits included. Ok. Say Ameen to my prayer too!”
Gumi, who has long advocated dialogue with armed groups as a complement to military operations, reiterated in recent interviews that some factions are open to laying down weapons. He has positioned himself as a mediator, previously facilitating the surrender of hundreds of bandits.
The statement comes amid escalating abductions and violence across northern Nigeria, where banditry has displaced communities and strained security forces.
Critics have repeatedly accused the cleric of shielding perpetrators by pushing for non-kinetic approaches, with calls for his arrest surfacing in recent months. Gumi has defended his role as peacemaking, insisting emotional reactions hinder practical solutions.
Nigeria continues to grapple with multiple security fronts, including insurgency in the northeast and rural banditry in the northwest, claiming thousands of lives annually.
No official government response to Gumi’s latest prayer had been issued at the time of reporting.
