Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has alleged that what he described as irrational fear of Islam and Muslims is influencing politics in the South-West, following controversy over his recent visit to Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Gumi, in a Facebook post on Tuesday, also asked to be left out of what he called “dirty local politics” in the region.
His reaction came amid controversy over reports that abductors of schoolchildren and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State had demanded the implementation of Sharia law as one of the conditions for releasing the victims.
The victims were abducted on May 15, when armed men attacked schools in the area and took away 46 schoolchildren and teachers.
However, in a video released on Monday by the captors, one of the abducted victims, Mrs. Rachael Folawe Alamu, denied reports that the kidnappers demanded the implementation of Sharia law or payment of ₦1 billion ransom.
Speaking from captivity, Alamu said the abductors had not forced the victims to practise Islam or worship in any particular way.
She stated that the only demand made by the gunmen was the release of some of their members allegedly being held by Nigerian authorities.
The Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, had also issued a statement denying the alleged Sharia demand, describing the report as false.
Reacting to MURIC’s statement, Gumi said the controversy had helped him understand what he described as the role of Islamophobia in South-West politics.
“I quite understand now how Islamophobia is shaping politics in SW and why I was unnecessarily dragged into their dirty local politics,” he wrote.
Gumi said his visit to Ibadan was not at the invitation of any Muslim individual or group in the South-West, but in his capacity as a representative of the Coalition of Northern Muslim Ulama.
“I was in Ibadan not by the invitation of any SW Muslim individual or group but as a representative of the Coalition of Northern Muslim Ulama,” he said.
He questioned why his movement within Nigeria should generate controversy, insisting that he had the right to travel to any part of the country.
“Can anybody stop me from going anywhere in Nigeria? It’s strange how some people think!” he added.
The cleric further alleged that the controversy was being influenced by both foreign and local interests to promote a divisive narrative and polarise the country.
“I believe the whole saga is tele-guided by both foreign and local interests to promote a narrative and polarise the country,” Gumi said.
The development comes as public attention remains focused on the fate of the abducted Oyo schoolchildren and teachers, with the latest video from captivity contradicting earlier claims that their abductors demanded Sharia law, weapons or a ₦1 billion ransom.
