Gumi Blows Hot Over Terror Attacks On Worshippers
Prominent Kaduna-based Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has suggested that foreign involvement should not be ruled out in recent terror attacks targeting worshippers in Nigeria.
Gumi made the assertion in a post on X (formerly Twitter), where he argued that Nigeria remains a country of interest to some Western powers and could be subject to clandestine operations aimed at justifying external intervention.
Reacting to comments by Kaduna-based activist Mahdi Shehu, Gumi referenced allegations against a former American envoy, Russell Hanks, who was accused of masterminding the bombing of a bookshop at Durbar Hotel in Kaduna in 1995 during the military regime of late Head of State, General Sani Abacha.
According to Gumi, the former envoy has never publicly addressed the allegation. He described the incident as “another possibility” pointing to covert foreign actions, insisting that Nigeria’s strategic importance places it on the radar of powerful external interests.
“Nigeria being a country of concern by them puts it on their radar for clandestine operations to prove the need for intervention,” Gumi wrote. “The aim is our sovereignty and wealth.”
The cleric further alleged that similar tactics are often deployed globally, claiming that attention has now shifted to Venezuela, and warning that foreign embassies could be used to evade scrutiny in such operations.
Gumi’s comments come amid heightened concerns over persistent attacks on religious gatherings and public spaces, reigniting debates about the drivers of insecurity in the country and the role of both internal and external actors.
