Kaduna Businessman Files Charges Against Sheikh Gumi, Six Others for Wife's Alleged Unlawful Confinement and Theft

A Kaduna-based businessman, Nasir Musa Idris, has initiated multiple criminal complaints against prominent Islamic scholar Dr. Ahmad Abubakar Gumi and six other individuals. The allegations encompass the wrongful detention of his Moroccan wife, Khadija Diab, the theft of $20,000 and 6,000 Saudi Riyals, defamation, and the forgery of court documents.

Legal filings, reviewed by SaharaReporters, indicate that these complaints have been lodged across three different judicial divisions: the Chief Magistrate Court in Barnawa, the Chief Magistrate Court in Kabala Doki, and the Sharia Court of Kaduna State.

At the Chief Magistrate Court, Kaduna Magisterial Division in Barnawa, an application dated April 28, 2026, names Dr. Ahmad Abubakar Gumi, Amal Ahmad Gumi (also known as Amal Elouakili and described as Gumi’s wife), Mahmud Ahmad Gumi, and Mubarak Ahmad Gumi (Gumi’s sons) as defendants. They face charges including “criminal conspiracy, criminal trespass, theft, enticement of a married woman, defamation of character, injurious falsehood, and false statement in declaration,” all under the Kaduna State Penal Code Law 2017.

Separately, a complaint filed at the Sharia Court, Kaduna Judicial Division, with case No. 026/2026 and dated May 7, 2026, extends the list of defendants to six. This filing includes Umar Shahada (Sambo) and Abubakar Abdullahi Goron Namaye, described as “associates and close collaborators” of Dr. Gumi, as the 5th and 6th defendants. The Sharia Court application cites alleged offenses under the Sharia Penal Code, such as “criminal conspiracy, wrongful restraint and wrongful confinement, criminal trespass, [and] procuration of a woman.”

Furthermore, a third application, case No. KMD/DC/2026, has been filed at the Chief Magistrate Court, Kabala Doki, against the same six defendants. This particular filing alleges “criminal conspiracy, giving false information and making use of a false document with intent that it be believed to be genuine,” contravening Sections 59 and 345 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law. It also seeks an arrest warrant “in the first instance,” citing concerns that summons service might be impractical or evaded, thus impeding justice.

Mr. Idris states that in October 2024, he lawfully married Khadija Diab, a Moroccan national, after fulfilling all necessary legal and immigration requirements. He brought his wife to Nigeria, where they resided together at No. 2A/2B Block of Flats, Alkali Close, Kaduna. The court documents emphasize that prior to these events, neither the complainant nor his wife had any prior relationship with Dr. Gumi, beyond a brief introduction made by Idris at Dialogue Pharmacy, Kaduna, primarily due to Dr. Gumi’s wife also being Moroccan. The documents explicitly state, “Beyond this introduction, there exists no familial, marital, or legal relationship whatsoever between the Complainant's wife and the 1st Defendant.”

According to the complainant, on or about September 16, 2025, he received a phone call from Mahmud Ahmad Gumi (the 3rd defendant), conveying that Dr. Gumi (the 1st defendant) had received complaints from Idris’s wife and wished for her to be brought to his residence for counselling. Trusting Dr. Gumi’s perceived religious standing, Idris took his wife to the defendants’ residence, where he was reportedly persuaded to leave her in their care. The filing asserts that from that point, the defendants collectively “wrongfully restrained and exerted undue influence over the Complainant’s wife, preventing her from returning to her matrimonial home and denying the Complainant access to her.”

Idris alleges that his attempts to retrieve his wife were met with resistance. The documents claim that Dr. Gumi and his wife imposed “unlawful and extraneous conditions,” including demands for a motor vehicle, financial benefits, and permission for the wife to work against the complainant’s wishes. The filing states that the defendants “continued to harbour and detain the Complainant’s wife without lawful justification, thereby interfering with his lawful marital rights.” The Sharia Court filing further details that the defendants collectively began to interfere with the marital relationship and prevented Idris from accessing his wife or returning her home.

Beyond the alleged unlawful detention, the complainant claims that on or about September 19, 2025, Amal Ahmad Gumi (the 2nd defendant), acting under Dr. Gumi’s instructions and accompanied by unidentified individuals, unlawfully entered Idris’s residence without consent. They allegedly removed personal belongings, including a travel bag containing $20,000 and 6,000 Saudi Riyals, along with other valuables, without any lawful justification.

Idris also accuses Dr. Gumi of defamation, alleging that the Islamic scholar made and circulated false and malicious statements against him, accusing him of immoral and unnatural conduct. These statements, according to the filing, are entirely false and have caused public ridicule, reputational harm, and restricted Idris’s freedom of movement.

A significant aspect of the complaints pertains to proceedings before the Sharia Court in Malali, Kaduna. Idris alleges that Dr. Gumi misrepresented himself as the lawful guardian (Wali) of Idris’s wife before the court, providing what Idris contends was false and misleading information. Based on these alleged misrepresentations, a purported marriage-related certificate was issued, which Dr. Gumi endorsed and signed in a capacity Idris claims he did not lawfully hold. Upon discovering these circumstances, Idris challenged the document’s validity before the Sharia Court in Malali. Following proceedings, the purported certificate was set aside, and the court ordered that it should not be relied upon. Despite this clear court order, Idris alleges that Dr. Gumi “continued to relied upon and present the said marriage certificate in other proceedings.”