A United Kingdom–based Catholic cleric, Rev. Nick Donnelly, has called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue an arrest warrant for Nigerian Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, over what he described as extremist and dangerous public comments.
Donnelly made the demand in a statement posted on his X account on Monday, reacting to Gumi’s recent remarks dismissing claims of Christian genocide in Nigeria.
In a viral video, Gumi had argued that herdsmen involved in kidnappings should not be compared to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), insisting they abduct children “to make money.” He urged the public to “be fair with them.”
The cleric condemned the comments, alleging that Gumi openly supports groups he described as “Islamist terrorists.”
“Gumi supports ‘herdsmen’ kidnapping children to make money. The ICC needs to issue an arrest warrant on charges of crimes against humanity. Gumi needs to stand trial in The Hague,” Donnelly wrote.
His call comes as pressure mounts in Nigeria for Gumi’s prosecution, especially after IPOB leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu was recently sentenced to life imprisonment by a Federal High Court over terrorism-related offences.
Reacting to Kanu’s conviction, human rights lawyer Malcolm Omirhobo said the development highlights what he called Nigeria’s “two-tiered justice system,” arguing that some individuals face swift punishment while others “who commit equal or worse offences” continue to walk free.
