…Gumi in his words, “the misunderstanding likely arose from a lecture I delivered in a mosque,
KADUNA, NIGERIA- The iNews Times | Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has dismissed reports suggesting that he claimed to have been targeted by the United States during recent airstrikes on terrorist hideouts in Sokoto State.
Gumi clarified that a resurfaced video circulating online, in which he spoke about threats to his life, was taken out of context and relates to an incident involving Boko Haram in 2012.
In a statement posted on his official Facebook page on Sunday, the cleric said his life is not under any threat and that claims suggesting otherwise are false and misleading.
He explained that the earlier warning he once issued was about an assassination attempt allegedly planned by Boko Haram more than a decade ago, stressing that it had nothing to do with the recent US airstrikes.
According to Gumi, it was divine intervention that saved him at the time, as the two individuals sent to carry out the attack were killed when an explosive device detonated prematurely near his residence.
“There is fake news currently circulating which falsely claims that I said I was targeted by a US attack on Nigerian soil or something similar,” Gumi said.
“I never made such a statement, nor did I ever consider that possibility. I am living peacefully in my home with my family, without fear or intimidation.
Gumi said, “the misunderstanding likely arose from a lecture I delivered in a mosque, where I recounted how, in August 2012, I was informed that Boko Haram had planned to eliminate me.
“The two people assigned to carry out the plot died instantly when the bomb they carried exploded in their hands close to my house,” he added.
Gumi urged media organisations that published the report to retract the story and issue public apologies, stressing the importance of accurate and responsible reporting.
