Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has responded to allegations made by Plateau-based pastor Ezekiel Dachomo, who accused him of claiming that Christian groups in the Middle Belt were staging fake burials with empty coffins to create the impression of a Christian genocide. The allegation followed a viral video in which Rev. Dachomo stood before what he described as a mass grave of 27 victims in Bindi-Jebbu, Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State, insisting he was willing to exhume the graves to prove they were not empty.
Speaking in an interview with Voice of The People TV, Gumi denied ever making such an accusation. He explained that the claim originated from a medical doctor who had sent him a message, which he later shared on his Facebook page with a cautionary remark. According to him, his post did not endorse the claim but expressed hope that it was not true.
Gumi said the pastor misquoted him and failed to read the contents of his post carefully. He clarified that he only relayed what was sent to him and did so without confirming its accuracy. “I said the doctor wrote me about this and I wrote, ‘I hope it is not true.’ I am surprised he is quoting what the doctor said and attributing it to me,” Gumi stated.
The exchange has added to ongoing tensions surrounding narratives of violence in the Middle Belt, where communities frequently accuse one another of misrepresentation and bias in reporting attacks.
