Outspoken Kaduna-based Islamic Cleric Sheikh Ahmed Gumi has criticised the Saudi Arabian government for denying him access to Mecca to perform the 2025 Hajj.
On Monday, Mr Gumi revealed on his official Facebook page that he has returned to Nigeria after being denied access to Makkah after his arrival in Madinah.
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“Alhamdulillahi, I’ve already completed my Hajj 2025, and I’m at home in our beloved country, Nigeria. Allah said in Q2/196:
وَأَتِمّ الْحَجَّ وَالْعُمْرَةَ لِلَّهِ فَإِنْ أُحْصِرْتُمْ فَمَا اسْتَيْسَرَ مِنَ الْهَدْيِ
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“And accomplish the Hajj, i.e. pilgrimage and the Umra for Allah, but if you are prevented, (slaughter) the offering available with you. (meaning you are then free from Hajj or Umra).
“For some obvious reasons, my views about world politics, the Saudi authorities are uncomfortable about my presence in Hajj after giving me the Hajj Visa.
“Thanks to the Nigerian authorities who have pledged to take up the matter immediately with Saudi authorities. That is the value of our cherished freedom and democracy.
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“I’m now free to attend to my health and farming activities.
“We should continue to pray for the safe return of all pilgrims, peace and prosperity for our dear nation,” he said in the post.
The cleric was among the Ulama team of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), which was charged with guiding and preaching to Nigerian pilgrims during the Hajj.
The commission transports hundreds of clerics to Hajj every year to guide pilgrims on the way.
Mr Gumi is a member of the team this year.
A pilgrim, who did not want his name mentioned because he was not authorised to speak, told PREMIUM TIMES that the Saudi authorities stopped Gumi, who had arrived with Umza aircraft at about 10.30 p.m. on Saturday, from entering the country with the rest of his team members, even though he had been granted a Hajj visa from Nigeria.
Background
In February 2010, Mr Gumi was arrested and detained for over six months by the Saudi Arabian government for allegedly relating with Farouk Abdulmutallab, a Nigerian arrested in the United States after attempting to detonate plastic explosives hidden in his underwear while on board Northwest Airlines Flight 253, from Amsterdam to Detroit, Michigan, on 2009 Christmas Day.
READ ALSO: Hajj 2025: NAHCON conducts readiness assessment of key service providers in Mecca
Abdulmutallab is the youngest of 16 children of Umaru Mutallab, a wealthy Nigerian banker and businessman.
IcIR reported that the United States shared intelligence with the Saudi authorities that he had been conversing and exchanging emails with Farouk Abdulmutallab shortly before the incident.
It took the intervention of the Nigerian government to secure Mr Gumi’s release after spending many months under house arrest in Mecca.
Since his return, the cleric has never gained access to the Kingdom.
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