Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Ìgbìnmó Májékóbájé Ilé-Yorùbá, has issued a strong call to the President of the United States, Donald Trump, urging him to place pressure on Kaduna cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, to disclose the locations of armed bandits operating across Nigeria.
The group said Gumi’s long-standing public defence of the militias, coupled with his claims of acting as a mediator, makes it clear that he knows the exact areas where these criminal groups hide.
In a statement released by the Union Convener, Olusola Badero, through the Home Director, Princess Balogun, the organisation said Nigeria is sliding into a lawless state.
They condemned the repeated scenes of officials visiting bandit camps under the guise of negotiation, insisting that such actions have further weakened the country’s fight against terror.
The group argued that if Gumi can safely accompany journalists and officials to remote enclaves for what he calls “peace missions,” then he should also be able to guide security forces to dismantle the same networks he frequently defends.
They warned that his continued justification of the criminals has strengthened their confidence and expanded their operations.
According to the union, Gumi’s ethnic-based defence of the militants is dangerous. They noted that he often claims hundreds of fighters have surrendered under his influence, yet he rejects calls for accountability as political attacks.
The group said his own public statements reveal how close he is to these criminal elements.
They further lamented the worsening insecurity across both the South and North, describing many communities as war zones where residents are kidnapped, killed, or displaced. “Every day, Nigerians are seen on social media with guns pointed at their heads, begging for ransom,” the statement added.
The group dismissed Gumi’s argument that terrorists are retaliating due to lack of development. They said many parts of Nigeria live without basic amenities, yet no other ethnic group has turned kidnapping, mass murder, and land occupation into a commercial system.
They accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of ignoring the severity of the situation while armed groups continue to ravage rural areas.
According to them, government silence is empowering terrorists, as no major militia commanders have been arrested despite years of violence.
In a rare appeal, the Yoruba Union asked the United States to step in if the Nigerian government remains unwilling to confront the criminals.
They urged Washington to pressure President Tinubu to order Gumi’s arrest for allegedly shielding militants, knowing their hideouts, and being aware of their channels of arms supply.
“Enough is enough,” the union said. “Those aiding and defending terrorists must face justice, no matter their status, title, or connections.”