Islamic cleric, Sheikh Dr. Ahmad Abubakar Gumi, has threatened to institute legal action against human rights lawyer, Chief Malcolm Emokiniovo Omirhobo, over alleged defamatory and inciting remarks aimed at damaging his reputation and provoking religious tension in Nigeria.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Gumi demanded that Omirhobo retract his “defamatory allegations” and tender an unreserved public apology within 48 hours or face legal proceedings for defamation and incitement.

The cleric’s threat comes in response to a press statement earlier released by Chief Omirhobo titled “Terrorism Apology Is a Crime: Government Must Investigate and Prosecute Sheikh Ahmad Gumi.”

Omirhobo had accused Sheikh Gumi of “publicly justifying and defending terrorists who are maiming, killing, kidnapping, raping, and displacing innocent Nigerians.”

The Lagos-based lawyer cited several legal provisions, including sections of the 1999 Constitution, the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act of 2022, the Criminal Code Act, and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, to back his call for an immediate government investigation and possible prosecution of the Kaduna-based cleric.