Gumi made this revelation in an interview with LEADERSHIP in Kaduna, saying the Emir of Ilesha-Baruba invited him to witness the turbaning of Hassan Yusuf as Sarkin Fulani.
Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has said he did not visit the incarcerated Yoruba activist, Sunday Igboho’s hometown but only passed through the community to Ilesha-Baruba town, Kwara State.
Gumi made this revelation in an interview with LEADERSHIP in Kaduna, saying the Emir of Ilesha-Baruba invited him to witness the turbaning of Hassan Yusuf as Sarkin Fulani.
The Islamic cleric said his stopover at Igboho town was misunderstood by some people who did not want the unity of Nigerians.
He, then, apologised to those who misunderstood his passing through the town as a visit to the area, adding that he did not want to offend anyone.
Gumi said, “On my way to Ilesha-Baruba, Kwara State on the invitation of their emir to witness the turbaning of Ardo Hassan Yusuf as Sarkin Fulani, I saw a beautiful town with the name Igboho as we were passing through the town and I was told that it is Sunday Igboho’s town.
"On our way back to Abuja, we stopped on the road in Igboho town. It was a wonderful town, we saw churches and mosques and we were impressed. A professor who was with us said, ‘you see ordinary Nigerians are living in peace, it is the elite that are causing problems for Nigerians’. We didn’t enter Igboho town. There was a school signboard on the road; we stood there, rested and began our journey again to Abuja.
“I was surprised to see criticisms that I visited Igboho town and I asked why Nigerians should be fighting? I believe that some people are benefitting from the chaos going on in the country. Passing through Igboho town while we were going and coming back from Ilesha became an issue.
"I sincerely tender my apology to those who were offended because they misunderstood. Some people were told I visited Igboho town and there was nothing like that. I am apologising because I don’t want to offend anyone.
"As I told you, we didn’t enter the town, we were only passing through there to Ilesha on an invitation for turbaning, I didn’t even know there was a town called Igboho until I saw the name on a signboard when we were going to Ilesha."