Sheikh Ahmad Gumi
By Auwal Rimi
Authorities in Saudi Arabia have stopped a controversial Kaduna-based Nigerian Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi from performing the 2025 Hajj and deported him back to Nigeria.
Gumi made this known in a post he made on his verified official Facebook page.
The cleric said that the Saudi government had granted him a visa to enter the country for Hajj, but he was not allowed to enter Medina to begin his religious duties.
Gumi 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.
“I am grateful to the authorities in Nigeria who have pledged to engage with the Saudi authorities on this matter.”
Gumi is part of a delegation of scholars sponsored by the Nigerian Hajj Commission (NAHCON) to travel to Saudi Arabia for religious services.
He arrived in Medina with other clerics last Saturday at around 10:30pm on an Umza Air flight.
However, upon arrival at the city’s airport, Saudi immigration officials prevented him from entering the country.
He has since been returned to Nigeria.
