Prominent Nigerian Islamic cleric, Sheikh Dr. Ahmad Abubakar Mahmud Gumi, has reacted to the release of a second video by kidnappers holding John Arum, a student of the University of Jos.
In a post on his official Facebook page, Thursday, April 15, 2026, Sheikh Gumi questioned how the nation can save victims of such violence. He noted that the people responsible for the violence have lost their humanity and that violence only hardens them.
The cleric stated: “How can we as a nation save these victims? We all know that these people we are dealing with have lost their humanity. Violence only hardens them in fact it’s what created them. I thought that planting empathy in them through correct religious instruction would tame them – most, if not all- not knowing that the violence they exercise is what most people (including some government quarters) believe is the only answer, despite many security experts having said that it constitutes 25% kinetic and 75% non-kinetic.”
Sheikh Gumi emphasised that there is no room for abuses, sentimental judgment, or conspiracy theories, adding that the danger is real and anybody can become a victim tomorrow.
He further stated: “There is no room or time for abuses, sentimental judgment, or conspiracy theories. The danger is real and anybody can be a victim tomorrow. The state is slow to react and any non-state actor becomes a source of blackmail.”
The cleric concluded with a prayer: “May Allah destroy any person who helped in creating this situation or participated in any form or neglect his/her duty in saving the situation or is even happy about it. Amin.”
The post was made in direct response to a video shared by Daily Times Nigeria, which shows kidnappers holding John Arum. In the footage, the victim is seen kneeling while an armed man points a rifle at him. Arum reveals that they are currently in Zamfara State. The kidnappers issued a direct death threat, warning that failure to meet their demands could lead to his execution.
Arum was reportedly abducted alongside six others along the Jos–Kaduna highway. Sources indicate that the ransom demand, initially set at ₦30 million, has now been reduced to ₦4 million. Read_More…
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