Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has been deported from Saudi Arabia and barred from performing the 2025 Hajj pilgrimage.
Bellnews reports that the renowned scholar confirmed the development in a post shared on his official Facebook page on Monday, May 26, 2025.
According to Gumi, although he was granted a visa by the Saudi authorities, he was not allowed to proceed to Medina to commence his religious rites.
“Due to some reasons related to my views on world politics, the authorities in Saudi Arabia do not want me to be present at Hajj even though they have granted me a visa,” he wrote.
“I am grateful to the authorities in Nigeria who have pledged to engage with the Saudi authorities on this matter.”
Findings indicate that Sheikh Gumi was part of a delegation of Islamic scholars sponsored by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) to Saudi Arabia for this year’s pilgrimage.
He arrived in Medina on Saturday night around 10:30 p.m. aboard a flight operated by Umza Air, alongside other clerics. However, Saudi immigration officials reportedly stopped him from entering the country at the airport.