Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has fired back at critics calling for his arrest over his frequent comments on banditry and his role as a mediator between armed groups and the government.

Gumi, who for years has positioned himself as a go-between for authorities and bandit leaders, has often faced backlash from Nigerians who accuse him of providing cover for criminals by advocating negotiations instead of military force.

But in a statement posted on Facebook on Sunday, the cleric dismissed the calls for his arrest as baseless and malicious, describing those behind them as “spineless, irresponsible and unpatriotic people” who prefer outrage to genuine solutions.

According to him, engaging with armed groups is not a crime, and his critics are driven by prejudice, misinformation, and an unwillingness to consider alternative security approaches.

Gumi recounted a major mediation effort in January 2021 at the Sabon Garin Yadi forest in Giwa Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

He said he visited the forest with the then Commissioner of Police, who represented the Inspector-General of Police, as part of a formal peace mission.

The meeting, he said, brought together more than 600 armed bandits and their leaders, who agreed to surrender their weapons and embrace peace in exchange for basic amenities and assurances of safety.

“I was at Sabon Garin Yadi forest with the Kaduna Commissioner of Police… We addressed over 600 bandits who agreed to drop their arms,” Gumi said, adding that the discussions were conducted transparently, with full knowledge of security authorities.

He blamed the collapse of the peace initiative on the government’s failure to honour the commitments made to the bandits, including infrastructural support and protection from arbitrary arrests.

This, he argued, discouraged the groups from following through with their promises.

Instead of interrogating why the agreements failed, Gumi lamented, some Nigerians have chosen to target him.

“What exactly should I be arrested for? For asking them to surrender their arms? For pushing for amenities? Or for explaining their grievances to the nation?” he asked.

He accused his detractors of hypocrisy and warned that silencing advocates of dialogue only worsens insecurity.

Gumi insisted that free speech remains a constitutional right and that expressing an opinion, even an unpopular one, should not be criminalised.

He urged Nigerians to set aside emotional reactions and focus on practical solutions to the deep-rooted issues driving banditry, adding that intolerance and bigotry are major obstacles to peace.

“May Allah protect our nation from bigotry and complete intolerance of differing views,” he wrote.

The Federal Capital Territory Command of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has rejected reports alleging that female inmates across the country lack access to menstrual hygiene products.

In a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja, the Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSC Adamu Samson Duza, described the reports as misleading, insisting that the Service complies with national and international correctional standards.

According to Duza, sanitary pads and other hygiene materials are distributed monthly at no cost to all female inmates, with each issuance properly documented in welfare registers.

He explained that every custodial centre is equipped with healthcare units manned by qualified doctors, nurses and other medical staff who attend to both general and menstrual-related health concerns.

“These units offer consultations, medication, and referrals to external hospitals when specialised care is needed,” he added.

Duza also highlighted the role of civil society groups, faith-based organisations, and development partners who frequently donate sanitary products and organise menstrual hygiene sensitisation programmes.

He referenced a recent donation from the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) as one of the many interventions supporting inmate welfare.

The statement was issued in response to a report by The ICIR, which documented shortages of menstrual products in some facilities, particularly in Suleja, and noted that female inmates often relied on donations or improvised with cotton wool, newspapers, or other materials due to inconsistent supply.

While the NCoS maintains that menstrual hygiene items are distributed consistently, advocacy groups continue to call for stricter oversight to ensure all women in custody have reliable access to sanitary products.

Despite substantial annual allocations to Nigeria’s correctional system, female inmates remain largely unprovided for in terms of dedicated menstrual hygiene support.

Between 2020 and 2021, over ₦1 billion was allocated to biometric systems, arms, and ammunition for prison security—yet no line item addressed the provision of sanitary pads.

In 2022, the House of Representatives launched an investigation into deteriorating conditions in correctional facilities as the NCoS received over ₦165 billion across two years.

However, its spending was not clearly itemised, raising concerns about transparency.

Government spending continued to rise: ₦22.44 billion on inmate feeding in 2023, ₦120 billion allocated to the NCoS in 2024, including ₦24.4 billion for feeding, ₦45.2 billion budgeted for correctional services in 2025, with inmate feeding increased to ₦38.03 billion and daily feeding allowance raised from ₦750 to ₦1,150

Yet across all these budgets, no explicit provision was made for sanitary pads or other menstrual products.

These items are instead absorbed under broad budget headings such as “catering materials” or “healthcare supplies”, making it impossible to verify if funds actually reach the intended beneficiaries.

A grieving mother, Mrs Edith Alum, has narrated how her two sons, Chukwudi and Onyekachi Alum, were shot dead by youths involved in a bitter leadership crisis in the Umuchigbo-Nike community of Enugu East Local Government Area.

Speaking tearfully in an interview, Mrs Alum said her sons went to work on the community farmland on October 29, 2025, unaware that violence would erupt that day.

According to her, the killing was not a communal clash, but an attack linked to two rival youth factions fighting over the community’s chairmanship position.

“They went to the farm as usual. They did not belong to any group. But some angry youths stormed the farmland and shot them. I don’t know who I offended,” she said.

Chukwudi, 38, a businessman with two children, was her first child; Onyekachi, 31, was her third child and a student.

Although over 100 people were reportedly on the farmland that day, Mrs Alum believes her sons were singled out.

She said the community chairman and the traditional ruler of Nike had visited to console her and assured her that the killers would be apprehended.

She also heard unconfirmed reports that the leader of the youth group allegedly behind the attack had been arrested, but she has been too overwhelmed with condolences to confirm the details.

Mrs Alum, who is a mother of six, now has four surviving children.

A close associate of the community chairman, Chinedu Emmanuel, said the violence stemmed from bitterness after the chairmanship election.

According to him, the chairman’s opponent had wanted to secure the seat through influence rather than a proper election.

When he failed, he allegedly resorted to violence.

“The position is important because the chairman manages community affairs and handles all negotiations with the government,” he explained.

Emmanuel claimed the attackers were mostly cultists who mobilised over 100 men armed with guns from nearby areas including Emene, Coal Camp, Obiagu, and Ogbohe.

He said the chairman’s opponent was arrested at the airport while attempting to flee, but the actual attackers had fled.

He added that the brothers were deliberately targeted to inflict emotional damage on the chairman, who was closely related to them by marriage.

Emmanuel also revealed he had previously been kidnapped by the same group earlier in the year and only released after a negotiated ransom of N10 million.

Another relative of the deceased, Tony Ugwu, said the brothers were killed because they supported the community chairman, who is married to their sister.

He confirmed the farmland is community-owned and accessible to all, though overseen by the chairman.

He said the chairman’s rival had earlier threatened that no one should work on the land, adding that the killing was the culmination of long-running hostility.

Eyewitnesses, according to him, said the attackers arrived in a large group of about 100 and shot Onyekachi first.

Chukwudi was gunned down while attempting to carry his brother to safety.

Ugwu commended the chairman for urging calm to prevent reprisal attacks, noting that the situation could easily have escalated.

He added that while there were rumours of arrests, only the police could confirm the details.

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Wuse Zone has fixed January 19 and 20, 2026, for definite hearing in the case involving three defendants accused of stealing gold jewellery worth N300 million.

The defendants, Rukhayat Usman Abbeyson, Lauretu Ahmed and Sagir Ahmed, are facing charges of criminal conspiracy and theft filed by the Commissioner of Police.

Justice Nwosu-Iheme, who presided over Thursday’s proceedings, adjourned the matter after counsel for the complainant, C.G. Okafor (standing in for Adama Musa), informed the court that the lead lawyer was indisposed despite preparing a witness.

The defence team, led by Ishaka Mudi Dikko, SAN, did not object to the request.

The judge ordered all parties to be fully prepared for the next sitting.

According to court filings, the defendants allegedly stole gold jewellery belonging to Hajia Halima Suleiman on March 23, 2024, at her residence in Jabi, Abuja.

Abbeyson, said to be Suleiman’s personal assistant, is accused of orchestrating the theft, having exclusive knowledge, besides Suleiman, of the safe’s combination.

The prosecution listed several exhibits, including statements from the defendants and witnesses, bank statements from multiple banks, receipts, photographs of the jewellery and safe, and audio recordings contained in a compact disc.

The defendants have maintained their innocence, claiming they were falsely accused.

They also asked Justice Nwosu-Iheme to recuse herself from the case, but the judge declined, noting that no evidence of bias was established.

Separately, eight men arrested for snatching mobile phones on the Mile 2 pedestrian bridge in Lagos have each been sentenced to six months in prison.

The arrests were confirmed by the Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, who said the suspects were apprehended during a morning operation carried out by the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC).

Those convicted are:
Anthony Osinachi (21), Victor Onuoha (45), Rowland Ede (25), Daniel Chisom (24), Emmanuel Chukwu (35), Ogbonnaya Uchechi (18), Godday Eke (28), and Benjamin G. (30).

They were arraigned before the Magistrate Court in Oshodi, where all eight pleaded guilty.

Wahab praised LAGESC officials for their quick action and urged Lagos residents to stay vigilant and promptly report suspicious behaviour.

He noted that the state government under Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has intensified its crackdown on crime, illegal structures, shanties, and criminal hideouts across Lagos.

Recent enforcement operations also led to the arrest of six suspected “one-chance” operators around the Ijora Bridge area as part of a broader initiative targeting unsafe areas along Apapa Road and its environs.