Prominent Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has been deported by Saudi Arabian authorities ahead of the 2025 Hajj pilgrimage, despite possessing a valid visa.
The Kaduna-based cleric revealed the incident in a statement posted on his official Facebook page on Monday, May 26, 2025.
He stated that although he had secured a visa for the pilgrimage, he was refused entry into Medina, where he was scheduled to begin his Hajj rites.
“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,” Gumi explained in his Facebook post.
Investigations showed that Sheikh Gumi was part of a group of Islamic clerics sponsored by the Nigerian Hajj Commission to offer spiritual guidance and support to pilgrims during the religious exercise.
