Islamic cleric Gumi files criminal defamation complaint in Nigeria
Islamic cleric Ahmad Gumi has filed a criminal defamation complaint against businessman Nasiru Idris with the High Sharia Court of Kaduna State in Nigeria. Premium Times Nigeria reports that the petition is related to Idris’s public statements in interviews with several media outlets.
Contents of the complaint
In the complaint filed by Gumi’s lawyer, M. T. Mohammed, the applicant asks the court to issue Idris a criminal summons. Gumi claims that the businessman publicly made false accusations against him that were damaging to his reputation.
In particular, according to the complaint, Idris alleged that Gumi abducted his wife and held her for more than 11 months, forged official seals, and took possession of his personal property. Gumi considers these statements to be defamation under Section 37 of the Kaduna State Sharia Penal Code of 2002. The complaint states that liability for this is provided for under Section 138 of the code.
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Family conflict
The dispute arose amid a conflict between Idris and his wife, Moroccan citizen Khadija Diab. In an interview with RFI Hausa, Idris claimed that he married Diab in Morocco and brought her to Nigeria. According to his version, after he brought his wife to Gumi’s residence for a consultation regarding the marriage, he was not allowed to see her for almost 11 months.
Idris also claimed that Gumi interfered in his marriage and tried to alter marriage registration documents in court. Gumi had previously denied these claims.
According to court documents obtained by the publication, Diab left the marital home and sought refuge with Gumi’s wife, who is also a Moroccan citizen. In the documents, Diab accused her husband of domestic and emotional abuse, inadequate maintenance, and fraud, and filed for divorce with the state’s High Sharia Court. Her lawyer said that she had returned to Morocco, where she is staying with her family, and described Idris’s public statements as intended to damage Gumi’s reputation.
