Controversial Islamic cleric, Sheik Ahmad Gumi has said that Nigeria’s security agencies had no right to label anyone a terrorist financier.
Gumi said this on an X space organised by Daily Trust on Wednesday, a day after the Federal Government released a list of 15 entities allegedly involved in terrorism financing.
The Herald can report that the list contained nine individuals and six Bureau De Change operators and firms.
One named individual is Tukur Mamu, a one-time aide of Sheikh Gumi.
Speaking on the development, the cleric said, “No Nigerian will put his money into terrorism, we’re beyond that. These people are financing themselves by taking our children for ransom.
“So, how can we say some people are financing terrorism because there is a misunderstanding between them?”
He insisted that political opponents were being tagged terrorism financiers to frame them.
“Now they are looking for N1 billion for these children (kidnap victims) to be released. They (terrorists) financed themselves by kidnapping. I think it’s rubbish to just frame your political opponents as financing terrorism,” Sheikh Gumi said.
Reacting to Mamu’s case, he noted that the case of the Desert Herald’s publisher is already in court and the Federal Government should not be engaging in media trial.
“Mamu’s case is in the court. Let’s wait to hear from the court. It’s wrong to resort to media trial. Let’s wait for the court to state if he is a financier or not. I think if he is acquitted, he has a strong case to make on libel.
“Who declares someone a terrorist financer? Is it the court of law or a security agency? The security agency has no right to declare anyone a terrorist financier. The case is already in court, so why are they judging him on the pages of the newspaper? Once a case is in court, you allow the court to decide,” he said.