Former presidential aide Reno Omokri has stated that calling for the arrest of Sheikh Gumi, who advocates for dialogue with bandits and herders, is dangerous.

This was as he revealed that the same could be said of former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, for defending the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

Read his Facebook post below.

"Calling For Sheikh Gumi's Arrest Adds Fuel To The Fire. It Doesn't Quench It.

"Nigerians need to understand that we are an Islamo-Christian nation. We are not a Christian nation, like America and the United Kingdom, or an Islamic country, such as Saudi Arabia or Jordan.

"As such, we do not have the luxuries that these countries have, where they can take zero-sum positions on issues of religion.
It is just like same sex marriage. We in Nigeria do not have a sizeable and organised LGBTQ voting bloc. Therefore, we can afford to take drastic steps regarding that issue. However, the United States and European countries do not have that same leeway.
We have to walk a tight rope.

"Christians have been killed in Nigeria by terrorists, and so have Muslims. Possibly more so.
How would you, as a Christian, feel if Saudi Arabia had said they were going to invade Nigeria to protect Muslims after some Muslim Northerners were killed in Uromi, or after Harira Jubril and her underage children were slaughtered in Anambra?
Or Muslims lives do not matter?

"Do not only think about yourself, your ethnicity and your religion. Nigeria does not have that luxury. We could believe and act that way if we were an ethnically and religiously homogeneous society, but we are not.

"We have nearly 350 distinct languages, along with considerable religious diversity. Neither Islam nor Christianity are even one in Nigeria. Each of these imported Abrahamic faiths has its own sectarian issues and schism challenges.
"Shia Muslims (Shiites) are the most disadvantaged religious sect in Nigeria, if you wish to know!
Calling for the arrest of Sheikh Gumi because he called for dialogue with bandits and herders is dangerous. I don't necessarily agree with him. But I recognise that he means well.

"Pastor Isa El-Buba also means well. But he should think this through.

"I urge him to recall that Peter Obi defended IPOB very publicly on Politics Today, Nigeria's most-watched political talk show.
His exact words were as follows: 'The only thing I disagree with is naming IPOB terrorists. They are not terrorists...I live in Onitsha, and I can tell you they are not terrorists. They (IPOB members) are people I pass on the road every time, (and) every day...and not one day has there been a threat or molestation or anything from them, even when they gather.'

"However, IPOB has been declared a terrorist organisation by the Nigerian government, and people who were once publicly recognised as leaders of IPOB have been convicted for terrorism in Finland, while another leader is to face judgment in Nigeria on November 20, 2025, for terrorism related charges.

"And Nnamdi Kanu has made broadcasts, which are still available, ordering his members to kill soldiers and police officers. He was also recorded calling for treasonable acts against Nigeria's leaders.

"After that broadcast, several soldiers and police officers were killed the following day. Coincidence?
Yet, after Peter Obi defended IPOB, Pastor El-Buba openly and vociferously campaigned for him during the #NigerianElections2023.
Now, how is what Sheikh Gumi did different or even worse than what Peter Obi did?

"Peter Obi even visited Sheikh Gumi on Monday, October 17, 2022, to solicit his support so his supporters could vote for Obi!
As Christians, we cannot wipe out all Muslims in Nigeria or forcefully Christianise them. And as Muslims, they cannot do the same to Christians.

"Therefore, the only way out of Nigeria's security challenges is for us to understand each other better rather than pretend that we are not different.

"Cooperation is always better than confrontation.
In the past, I have also misunderstood Sheikh Gumi and called for his arrest under the administration of General Buhari. But the true hallmark of intelligence is to change your mind when you become aware of new information and fresh facts.

"This same Sheikh Gumi has a son in the Nigerian Army, fighting for our peace and security. Let us think about that for a minute or two. How do we expect that young man to feel? He would be demoralised, to say the least!

"I have never met or spoken to Sheikh Gumi. I am just a Nigerian who has made enough to be comfortable until I die. And because I have that luxury, I can think beyond my immediate needs, religion and ethnicity.
If we want peace in Nigeria, we must first understand the other side before asking them to understand our own.
Because what can work in a Christian nation and for an Islamic country may not work for an Islamo-Christian state.
Sadly, a critical mass of Nigerians are very emotional people, driven by excitable nerves. That is why it was very easy to colonise us, and it is still not difficult to divide us. And it is for that reason that leaders amongst us must be sentient beings who rely on facts and are driven by patriotism."


ASA