Saudi bars Islamic cleric Sheikh Gumi from Hajj

Saudi authorities have barred prmionent Kaduna-based Islamic scholar Sheikh Ahmad Gumi from participating in the 2025 Hajj pilgrimage, despite initially issuing him a visa.

The cleric was subsequently deported to Nigeria.

Confirming the development on Monday, May 26, 2025, Gumi posted on his official Facebook page that although he had secured a visa for the pilgrimage, he was denied entry upon arriving in Medina, where he was scheduled to begin 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,” Gumi wrote.

He added, “I am grateful to the authorities in Nigeria who have pledged to engage with the Saudi authorities on this matter.”

Gumi was among several clerics sponsored by the Nigerian Hajj Commission to provide religious guidance during the pilgrimage.

He reportedly landed in Medina last Saturday at around 10:30 p.m. aboard an Umza Air flight, accompanied by other religious leaders. However, Saudi immigration officials denied him entry into the city.

Having returned to Nigeria, the scholar is said to have resumed his regular teaching and religious duties.