Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, an Islamic cleric, has said that politics in the South-West geopolitical zone of the country is based on an irrational fear of Muslims and Islam.

He also wanted to be exempted from “dirty local politics” in the zone, following the controversy generated by his visit to Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

The cleric made his position known on Tuesday in a Facebook post amid reports that the abductors of 46 schoolchildren and teachers in the Oriire local government area of Oyo State on May 15 had demanded the implementation of Sharia law in the state as one of the conditions to release the captives.
But one of the victims in a video released by her captors Monday vigorously debunked the report of the implementation of the Sharia.

Mrs Rachael Folawe Alamu, who spoke from captivity, said the armed gunmen made no demand for Sharia nor ransom payment of N1 billion as reported in some quarters.

They only asked for the release of their comrades who were in the hands of the Nigerian authorities, she added.

Also, a major Islamic group, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), debunked the alleged Sharia demand in a press statement on Monday.

Reacting to MURIC’s statement, Gumi said, “I quite understand now how Islamophobia is shaping politics in SW and why I was unnecessarily dragged into their dirty local politics.

“I was in Ibadan not on invitation of any SW Muslim individual or group but as a representative of the Coalition of Northern Muslim Ulama.

“Is there anybody that can stop me going anywhere in Nigeria?

Some people have weird thoughts!

“I think that the whole saga is tele-guided by both foreign and local interests to promote a narrative and polarise the country.”

The post Islamophobia Influencing Politics in South-West — Sheikh Gumi appeared first on TheNigerian.

Funke Akindele, a well-known Nollywood actress, revealed why she stopped going to church.

In a Snapchat video on Sunday, the actress revealed that she quit attending church because people would frequently focus more on her than the service.

The actress stated that she now participates in church services virtually while clarifying that she is constantly the subject of photographs.

“Every time I go to church, they always take pictures of me,” Akindele remarked. I shall so participate virtually.

Recall that Akindele publicly identified as a member of the Celestial Church of Christ in 2022.

“I go to the Celestial church in private at night to find answers whenever I have difficulties. But I have to come out of hiding.

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The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, has said that Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu remains an ordained pastor of the church.

Adeboye said this during the church’s monthly Holy Ghost Service.

He said the First Lady was ordained an Assistant Pastor over 10 years ago, long before her husband, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, became a presidential candidate.

He said her ordination followed due process and that she had not violated any of the doctrines or regulations of the church.

The revered cleric also rejected calls in some quarters for her to be removed, insisting the church will not bow to outside pressure on the matter.

Meanwhile, Adeboye has shared how he used to handle expensive gifts in the beginning days of his ministry.

He made this revelation during a thanksgiving service at his church, according to reports.

Adeboye reminisced about when he was still commuting by bus and he got a Mercedes Benz from an old woman.

He left it unused for a while, not knowing what to do with it. He said a dream later reminded him that the refusal of the gift was holding the woman’s blessing back from coming to life.

With this, he gave the car to his late deputy, Pastor Abiodun, who told him to enjoy the car. But Pastor Adeboye decided to forward it.

Later he was surprised when he was given three more Mercedes-Benzes.

A man came home one night at 2:00 AM in a rare Mercedes Limousine with six doors, saying that God sent it.

Pastor Adeboye prayed and felt he could sell the car.

He sold it and used the money to buy motorcycles for his pastors. This is how he repurposed luxury gifts for the benefit of others.

He said: “I almost said, ‘Alakoba wo le leyi?’ Hopefully this one won’t get me in any trouble.

“Why are you robbing my daughter of her blessing? She planted a seed and you are not letting that seed grow.

“Even if I die and they put me in this car, I will get up. Can I sell the vehicle?

“I remember selling it and buying motorcycles for my pastors with the money.

The post Why I Will Not Remove Remi Tinubu As RCCG Pastor – Adeboye appeared first on TheNigerian.

Rotimi Amaechi, who used to be the governor of Rivers State, says that President Bola Tinubu’s current government does not protect the rights of all religions in the country.

Amechi reportedly spoke on Friday during a conversation with Channels Television.

Amaechi questioned Tinubu’s win in the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary in 2022 and said that society needs a balance when it comes to religious issues.

“They said President Tinubu had won the APC primary on the first day,” he said. “I told him I didn’t agree.”

“Why do people say that? A society needs to protect all of its religious interests in order to keep things in balance.

“I don’t think the current government is doing a good job of protecting the rights of all religions in the country.” You need to let all the tribes and regions know that they are part of this country.

Remember that President Tinubu ran against Vice President Kashim Shettima, who is a Muslim, in the 2023 election.

Amaechi, on the other hand, says he doesn’t agree with the idea of picking the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate for the 2027 election by consensus.

In an interview with Channels Television on Friday, the former Governor of Rivers State said that people should be free to choose what they want.

He did say, though, that he is willing to support whoever ends up being the ADC presidential candidate. He would rather the party hold a primary election.

Amaechi made his point clear in response to a comment made earlier by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who said that the ADC would first look into the possibility of choosing its flagbearer by consensus.

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The International Society for Civil Rights and Rule of Law, also known as Intersociety, has spoken out against Nigeria being left out of Pope Leo’s visit to some African countries.

The group called the development a major mistake.

In a statement, Intersociety said they were sad that the visit did not include the “Super Catholic/Christian States: Congo DRC, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Kenya.”

The statement was signed by Obianuju Joy Igboeli, Head of the Department of Civil Liberties and Rule of Law; Engr. Ekene Bede Umeagu, Head of the Department of International Freedom of Religion and Worship; and Chidinma Evangeline Udegbunam, Head of the Department of Campaign and Publicity.

It said that the development brings to light other important missing points and changes, such as “demanding the appointment of four Cardinal-Electors for Uganda and Kenya (two each), two each for Cameroon, Angola, and Tanzania; and three each for Congo DRC and Nigeria to encourage, strengthen, and save Africa’s largest but severely threatened Catholicism and Christianity.”

The rights group said they hoped that Pope Leo’s message of world peace would not mean “peace of the Christian graveyard, Jews, and other peaceful religions and religious minorities, especially in the hands of global Islamic Jihadists who have promised to keep targeting Christians and Jews until they convert or are hacked to death.”

It stressed that “more concrete reforms are very strongly and urgently needed to strategically and strongly reposition the Mother Church as the common umbrella and ‘General Overseer of the global Christendom.'”

“Charity Must Begin at Home Reforms” are some of the changes that need to be made. For example, the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Parolin, needs to sit up or resign, just like Archbishop Claudio Dalla Zuanna of Mozambique’s Archdiocese of Beira did on April 10, 2026, and Archbishop Pascalis Bruno Sukur did when he turned down an early 2026 appointment by Pope Leo XIV as a cardinal and chose to stay in his role as Bishop of Bogor in Indonesia.

“Exclusion of Africa’s Five Super Catholic States from Pope’s Maiden Visit: We have noticed a major flaw in the Holy Father’s African visit, which only included Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea. It did not include the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya, which together have an estimated 141 million Catholics, as well as Ethiopia, Africa’s third largest Christian state with 77 million.

“Out of the four countries that were chosen for the pope’s visit, only Angola has a large Catholic population of about 10 million, compared to 9 million in Cameroon and 1.4 million in Equatorial Guinea.

“Our careful study of the current patterns and trends of genocidal attacks by Islamic jihadists against Christians in Africa has clearly indicated that except Cameroon, Catholics and general Christian population face less jihadist threats and attacks in Angola and Equatorial Guinea than the five major Catholic countries of Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya and allied others like Ethiopia.

Based on the records we have, there are only 4,200 Catholics in Algeria, which has a Cardinal, out of an estimated 100,000 Christians in the country. Algeria is the largest landmass country in Africa, covering 2.382 million square kilometers.

“Algeria is only consoled and included in the papal visit because it is the birthplace of Saint Augustine, a biblical figure.

“We don’t hold any grudges against the four African countries that were chosen, but the Pope should have gone to the five African countries that are most threatened and attacked.”

The five African Super Catholic States that were affected were Congo DRC (with an estimated 55 million Catholics and 115 million Christians), Nigeria (with 30 million to 35 million Catholics and 113 million Christians), Tanzania (with 19 million Catholics and 31 million Christians), Uganda (with 18 million Catholics and 30 million Christians), and Kenya (with 18 million Catholics and 40 million Christians). This adds up to 141 million Catholics and 329 million Christians. Ethiopia, which is one of Africa’s oldest Christian countries, also has an estimated 77 million Christians.

These six African countries should have been scheduled as “First Among Equals” on Pope Leo XIV’s first visit to Africa. This is especially true because the Holy Father’s visit is very important and needed to encourage and strengthen the Christian faith in dangerous places like Nigeria, Congo DRC, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya. If extreme care is not taken, their large Catholic and other Christian populations will be wiped out by local Islamic jihadists linked to ISIS and ISIL in the next 50 to 100 years. Their future generations will not have any traces of Christianity or Christian names in their family trees.

“Another important point that was missing was the uneven appointment of Catholic Cardinals in Africa, especially in countries with a lot of Catholics. These countries have been having trouble because they don’t have enough “Cardinal-Electors,” or people under 80 who can vote in papal conclaves and other cardinal decisions.

“We hereby call for the appointment of two new Cardinal-Electors for Nigeria, specifically to be appointed from the country’s North-East, especially among Catholic Dioceses in Taraba State, as well as from among Catholic Dioceses in Benue State.

“Based on what we’ve found recently, there are very brave and strong Catholic Bishops in the area who have stood their ground against the attacks of the Jihadist Fulani and their allies Boko Haram and Fulani Bandits. These attacks have killed thousands of members of their Catholic Faith and destroyed hundreds of churches, especially since 2015.

Bishop Anagbe was killed in March 2025 for speaking out against the US. Fulani Jihadists burned down his village and killed dozens of his family members. In Wukari Diocese, more than 90,000 Catholics have had to flee, and hundreds have been killed. Dozens of church parishes have been burned down or looted from 2024 until this date of April 2026. The same thing has happened in Makurdi Diocese, where hundreds have been killed and dozens of parishes have been burned down or looted.

“There are 60 Catholic dioceses in Nigeria, 59 of which are full-fledged and one is a suffragan. The suffragan is in Ibadan, Oyo State. 27 of the dioceses are currently dying and 17 are only 17 inches away from being empty.”

The post Intersociety Criticizes Pope Over Exclusion of Nigeria from Africa Visit appeared first on TheNigerian.

Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, the Sultan of Sokoto, has denied a post that said he was involved in the crisis in Benue State.

A viral picture going around on social media showed Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia in a worshipful pose in front of the Sultan.

The king’s media team said in a statement that the picture was fake and meant to stir up religious and ethnic tensions.

In a statement from Prince Bashir Adefaka, the team said that the false and misleading claims that were going around on social media tried to start a religious and ethnic divide.

It said that the Sultan had always worked for peace, harmony between religions, and national unity, and that any attempts to damage his legacy with false information should be rejected.

The statement said, “The Sultan of Sokoto’s Media Team has been made aware of a false post that is going around on WhatsApp and other social media sites called ‘leaked photo of Governor Hyacinth Alia worshipping the Sultan of Sokoto.’

“The content tries to bring a religious and ethnic story that divides people into the ongoing security problems in Benue State.”

“We want to make it clear that the picture in question is fake, probably made by AI, and made on purpose to mislead the public. It’s also a bad and dangerous idea to link the respected Muslim leaders in Nigeria, especially the Sultan of Sokoto, to things that have nothing to do with his job or his personal life.”The accompanying commentary falsely claims religious bias and tries to make things worse by linking the Sultan to the crisis in Benue State.” These claims are not only false, but they also pose a serious threat to the safety and unity of the country.

“These actions are part of a pattern of false information meant to cause division and make it harder for Nigerians to live together peacefully.”

We strongly condemn these actions because we are in charge of the Sultan of Sokoto’s public image and communication. He is also the President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), the Chairman of the National Traditional Rulers Council of Nigeria, the Co-Chairman of the Nigerian Inter-Religious Council, and the Co-President of the World Religions for Peace in New York.

The Sultan has worked for peace, harmony between religions, and national unity for almost twenty years. All good Nigerians must reject attempts to ruin this legacy by making up stories.

We are also worried that people on social media have been spreading similar false stories for a long time. These kinds of actions could make tensions worse and make the country’s already fragile security situation even worse.

There is no doubt that the Sultan of Sokoto does not look like he does in the picture that is going around. Also, Islamic teachings make it clear that prostration is an act of worship that is only for Almighty Allah. This means that the claims in the post are not only false, but they also go against the Sultan’s beliefs and principles.

“We urge the federal government and the appropriate security agencies to take strong action against the spread of false information and those who use it to create division. We will begin profiling some of these people for their actions very soon.”

“We also ask religious and community leaders of all faiths to encourage their followers to communicate responsibly, especially on social media. “Keeping Nigeria’s unity and stability is a duty that goes beyond religion and race.”

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Yahaya Bello, the former governor of Kogi State, was given permission by a Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday to travel to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, to observe the final ten days of Ramadan.

It was stated that Justice Emeka Nwite granted the plea following a motion submitted by the ex-governor’s counsel, Joseph Daudu (SAN).

In the January 19 and January 20 motion, Daudu asked the court to grant his client a temporary foreign passport release so that he might undertake the smaller hajj (Umrah).

He said the former governor intended to go between March 13 and March 22, during the tail end of the Islamic fasting month, which this year spans from February 18 to March 19.

Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) counsel, stated that the organization had no issues with the application.

Bello told the court that while he would have loved to spend the entire 30 days of Ramadan, he was being mindful of his pending trial when asked how many days he intended to spend in the Holy Land.

Bello remarked, “I have not travelled outside this country in the last eight years.

“I would have loved to observe Shawwal right away after spending the entire month of Ramadan in Mecca, but I won’t want to take anyone for granted.”

He said that he would only be in Mecca for the final ten days of the fast.

Justice Nwite’s decision on the motion stated that the court had no justification for rejecting the request because the prosecution had not objected.

“I have listened to the submission of the learned counsel to the defendant and also observed that the prosecution is not opposing the application.

The judge decided that the defendant will only go in the Holy Land for ten days, starting on March 13.

In order to continue the trial, the judge postponed the case to January 30.

The EFCC is prosecuting Yahaya Bello for allegedly engaging in financial mismanagement while serving as Kogi State’s governor.

The post Court Grants Yahaya Bello Permission to Travel for Lesser Hajj appeared first on TheNigerian.

he presiding pastor of the master’s place international church, Pastor Korede Komaiya has said, “The families makes up a nation”.

Komaiya made this known in a recently released video clip message, titled; ALL ROUND FAMILY & MARITAL REST.

Speaking to the congregants, the cleric said; “”The families that makes up a nation are more powerful than the military of that nation”.

” Because, everyone in the military of the nation came from a family, a good home is heaven on earth. A bad home, family, marriage is hell on earth”.

“There’s no rest, if there’s no rest at home, you need to understand that, no one can truly be restful, when the home is not restful”.

“If business is not restful, and you come back home, and there’s rest, you’ll still have rest, where ever you go, you come back home, if home is not having peace then you’ll lack peace”.

“The home is the place where convictions are formed, the home is the place where attitudes are cultivated. The families of a nation will produce the government and teachers of a nation”.

Using this as a background, Komaiya stressed “It is important for you to know that, the home is everything”.

“When the home is not peaceful, society will not be peaceful, the better the families, the better the church, because every body in a church came from a family”.

Pastor Komaiya in a recently released message that generated and attracted alot of accolades has said “Nothing attracts people like loving them”.

Komaiya stressed the superiority of stakeholders to employee and employer relationship and demostrated this by the way, the ministry cares for her workers by giving them 13th month salary and another 50% bonus of their salary in december, 100% full scholarship, free accomodation and 100% health medical care.

All these shows that, leadership is love expressed through administration and care for people’s future.

The post The Families Makes Up A Nation – Pastor Komaiya. appeared first on TheNigerian.

Even after reaffirming her commitment to her Christian religion, Nollywood actress Tonto Dikeh has announced her decision to leave the tattoos on her body.

According to reports, Tonto has been transparent about her spiritual journey since reestablishing her faith. She has shared videos of her prayers and speaking in tongues, demonstrating the changes in her life.

She was asked if she would think about getting rid of her tattoos now that she has restored her faith in an online conversation with a fan.

Tonto clarified that while she has considered getting rid of them, she does not want to take the chance of damaging her skin through laser treatments.

She further stated that her faith is unaffected by the ink on her body and that her spiritual beliefs do not need her to remove the tattoos.

The admirer questioned, “Mama, would you have removed yours if it were possible to do so?”

“Yes, darling, I would have, but I’m stuck with them, and I won’t use a laser to ruin my nice skin.” The good news is that Jesus doesn’t give a damn. She answered.

Additionally, the single mother recently declared that this year she will be more selective about the businesses and individuals she collaborates with.

Respect is crucial, she said, and she would not endorse or encourage anyone who treats her, her beliefs, or her spiritual leaders with animosity or disdain.

Additionally, Dikeh stated that she will stay away from collaborations or initiatives that do not respect her efforts or safeguard her work.

The post Tonto Dikeh Explains Why She Won’t Remove Tattoos Despite Embracing Christ appeared first on TheNigerian.

Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), has described how he almost missed death during a church service seven years ago.
According to reports, Adeboye told the incident at the annual Special Holy Ghost Service, themed “Joy Unspeakable,” and ascribed his survival to God’s favor.
Pastor Adeboye, who turned 83 recently, described how he became severely ill at one of the church’s annual “Let’s Go A-Fishing” evangelism activities in Ilesha and was unable to return to the camp by road.

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The cleric thanked God for preserving his life.
He stated, “Seven years ago, during this identical program, my body absolutely broke down owing to the horrible road conditions. For the first time in my life, I spent Christmas day in bed. The devil was convinced he had finally caught me. I collapsed at Ilesha, so we had to rent a helicopter to get me back to the camp. I was too weak to travel by road; otherwise, I would not have survived.

“However, as I was ready to be flown, local miscreants (area lads) attempted to stop the helicopter from taking off.

“They clung on the chopper, causing one of the glass to tear. But, by God’s grace, I made it to camp. I was confident that if I could only go to the camp, I would recover. I’m still here, seven years later! I want you to thank God for saving my life. Praise Him for me—give Him glory, honor, and devotion!”

The post ‘I Collapsed in Ilesha’ – Pastor Adeboye Speaks on Life-Threatening Incident appeared first on TheNigerian.