Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The deportation of controversial Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi from Saudi Arabia, the spiritual heartland of Islam, has reignited a fierce debate about his continued freedom of movement and apparent official tolerance within Nigeria. On Wednesday, 27 May 2026, American missionary and vocal government critic Alex Barbir issued a blistering statement, accusing the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of “harbouring and glorifying a known terrorist sympathiser” while ordinary citizens languish in captivity and insecurity spirals out of control.
Gumi, a Kaduna-based cleric who has repeatedly advocated for amnesty and dialogue with armed bandits in the North-West, was deported from Saudi Arabia on Sunday, 24 May 2026, just hours after arriving at Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Medina with a valid visa to perform the 2026 Hajj pilgrimage. Saudi authorities denied him entry without an official explanation, though Gumi later suggested it was linked to his political views. Speaking on his Facebook page, he said: “Due to some reasons related to my views on world politics, the authorities in Saudi Arabia do not want me to be present at Hajj even though they have granted me a visa.” He insisted he was “not deported” but rather turned back due to a routine administrative glitch, a claim contradicted by multiple sources within the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) who confirmed that he was indeed refused entry and put on a return flight to Abuja.
The deportation is Gumi’s second such experience in as many years. In May 2025, he was similarly denied entry into the Kingdom despite holding a valid visa, a decision widely attributed to his controversial mediation efforts with bandits and his outspoken criticism of global politics.
Reacting to the development, Barbir, a former humanitarian worker who was himself expelled from Nigeria in April 2026 for allegedly inciting religious divisions, did not hold back. In a post on his X handle, Barbir wrote: “Gumi was deported from Islam’s epicentre, Saudi Arabia, yet he is harboured and glorified in Nigeria. The same man who negotiates with kidnappers, legitimises bandits and lectures the government on ‘forgiveness’ is treated like a king in Aso Rock while victims of terror are buried in mass graves. This is the hypocrisy of the Tinubu administration.”
Barbir, who has consistently documented attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, accused the Federal Government of double standards. “Why is a man barred from entering the holiest city in Islam still free to walk the streets of Abuja, grant press conferences and even advise the military? Why are those who finance and sympathise with terrorists given a pass while those who expose the killings are labelled troublemakers and expelled?” he queried. He called on the international community to designate Gumi a terrorist sympathiser and demanded his immediate arrest and prosecution.
The cleric has long been a polarising figure. While Gumi insists he is a peacemaker working to end banditry, critics argue that his actions, including visiting bandit camps, publicly defending their grievances and opposing military offensives, have emboldened criminal networks. In May 2026, human rights lawyer Deji Adeyanju formally petitioned the Federal Government to arrest Gumi, describing him as a “terrorist sympathiser whose words and actions promote terrorism in Nigeria.” Adeyanju warned that Gumi’s continued freedom “encourages bandits to kill and kidnap with impunity.”
The Federal Government has yet to officially respond to Barbir’s latest salvo. However, a presidential aide who spoke on condition of anonymity told Stone Reporters News that the administration considers Gumi’s case a “security matter” and would not be drawn into public sparring with an expelled foreign national. “Sheikh Gumi remains a Nigerian citizen. He has not been charged with any crime, and he is entitled to his freedom of movement and expression, however controversial. The government’s position is clear: criminals must be confronted, but dialogue with non-kinetic approaches remains on the table,” the aide said.
Critics, however, see a stark contradiction. On one hand, the government expelled a foreign missionary for “inciting violence” by documenting attacks; on the other, it continues to accommodate a local cleric who has repeatedly met with armed gangs and called for their rehabilitation. The disparity has fuelled accusations of selective justice and a soft stance on individuals accused of aiding insecurity.
As of Thursday, 28 May 2026, no official communication has been made between the Federal Government and Saudi authorities over Gumi’s deportation. The cleric, meanwhile, has returned to his regular preaching schedule in Kaduna, maintaining that his work is “divinely ordained” and that he will continue to pursue peace even if it makes him unpopular.
For Barbir, the message is simple: “A man who is not welcome in a country that enforces Sharia law, that bans terrorism and rejects violence, should not be celebrated in a country bleeding from the very crimes he normalises. Until Nigeria stops rewarding those who romanticise terrorism, the bloodshed will never end.”
The controversy exposes a deeper fault line in Nigeria’s fight against insecurity: the unresolved tension between non-kinetic peace strategies and the demand for hardline justice. As bandits continue to raid villages, kidnap schoolchildren and impose levies on helpless communities, the question of whether individuals who advocate for, negotiate with or allegedly sympathise with these groups should be held accountable remains fiercely contested.
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