CLAIM: Video shows Sheikh Gumi advocating for bandits to be included in the country’s national budget VERDICT: Misleading. The interview is real, but the viral video is edited. FULL STORY A popular blog, ‘Linda Ikeji Blog’ posted a video clip featuring controversial Islamic cleric, Sheikh Gumi. In the clip, which appears to have been cut
CLAIM: Video shows Sheikh Gumi advocating for bandits to be included in the country’s national budget
VERDICT: Misleading. The interview is real, but the viral video is edited.
FULL STORY
A popular blog, ‘Linda Ikeji Blog’ posted a video clip featuring controversial Islamic cleric, Sheikh Gumi. In the clip, which appears to have been cut off from an interview with Prime Entertainment, which has its logo watermarked on the clip, the cleric can be heard saying, “Attacking the bandits will be a mistake; negotiate with them instead. The cause of this chaos is because they are not included in the budget, so USA attacking them will cause more chaos in the country. The best solution is negotiation with them, and they should be included in the budget. Only negotiations can solve these issues; give them whatever they want for peace to reign.” This statement is reportedly Gumi’s response to US President Donald Trump’s threat to invade Nigeria to tackle terrorism.
The video was posted on the 25th of November 2025 with the caption: “Attacking the bandits will be a mistake. Negotiate with them instead, include them in the budget, give the bandits what they want– Sheikh Gumi tells Nigerians.” has since gathered almost 695,000 views, more than 1800 likes, and about 2000 reposts.
A screenshot of the claim on Linda Ikeji’s blog
Sheikh Gumi has often shared his views in interviews, drawing both criticism and praise. Unlike his earlier interviews, the viral video features a noticeably different, non-Nigerian, and hoarse voice—traits common in AI-generated content—prompting NDRFactCheck to verify its authenticity.
Image verification of key video frames confirmed that both the background and the sheikh’s outfit matched those in his interview with Seun Okinbaloye on Channels TV.
A screenshot from the original video interview with Channels TV
In the Channels TV interview, which aired on the 22nd of February 2021, reacting to the question of the rise of banditry in the north, Sheikh Gumi opined that banditry is a case of criminality which has transformed into an ethnic war. These findings show that the Channels TV watermark, which was in the original clip, has been removed by the entity that tampered with the video.
Keyword internet searches did not return any information on Prime Entertainment, which has its watermark on the viral video.
CONCLUSION
The allegation that Sheikh Gumi advocated including bandits in the national budget is false; it stems from a doctored version of his 2021 interview with Channels TV.
