Kaduna-based Islamic scholar Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has claimed that the Nigerian government is fully aware of the identities and exact locations of terrorists and bandits operating across the country.
Gumi made the allegation during a recent interview on DRTV, which gained widespread attention online.
Responding to accusations that he regularly interacts with terrorists and bandits and often speaks on their behalf, Gumi insisted that his engagements with armed groups were never conducted alone.
“The government knows every terrorist by name and by location. I don’t go alone to negotiate; I go with the police and other security agencies,” he said.
He further stated that some of these efforts involved visits to traditional rulers and trips into forests believed to be bandit hideouts.
“I would go to the Emirs. In fact, when we went to one forest, I even went with women into the bush,” he added.
Gumi has previously participated in controversial dialogue initiatives with armed groups in northern Nigeria, arguing that negotiation could help reduce violence and encourage fighters to surrender.
Meanwhile, amid escalating diplomatic tensions between Israel and Iran, Israel’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, reiterated accusations that Iran sponsors terrorism globally, including in Nigeria.
In a statement, Freeman described Iran as “the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism,” providing funding, weapons, training, and strategic direction to groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis.
He referenced the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, which he said Iranian leaders publicly praised and encouraged.
Freeman also cited past incidents in Nigeria, including the 2010 interception of an Iranian weapons shipment at Apapa Port in Lagos and a 2013 security operation that uncovered a Hezbollah-linked weapons cache in Abuja and Kano.
He alleged that Iran has supported the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), noting meetings between Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and IMN leader Ibrahim Zakzaky.
Iran’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Mahdavi Raja, rejected the accusations during an appearance on Television, insisting that Tehran does not sponsor terrorism in Nigeria or West Africa.
In a separate interview on Trust TV, Raja declared Iran’s readiness to defend itself against the United States and Israel amid the ongoing war.
“Iran is prepared for this war, and we have the capabilities to respond to any kind of aggression,” he said.
The conflict escalated in late February with US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran, resulting in the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other senior officials.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammed Ghalibaf vowed that Tehran is no longer seeking a ceasefire.
“We are definitely not looking for a ceasefire; we believe that the aggressor should be punched in the mouth so that he learns a lesson,” Ghalibaf stated.
