A Kaduna businessman, Nasiru Musa Idris, has filed multiple criminal complaints against Islamic scholar Sheikh Ahmad Gumi and six others, alleging the wrongful detention of his Moroccan wife, Khadija Diab, for about 11 months.
According to court documents seen by Podium Reporters, Idris legally married Diab in October 2024 after fulfilling all requisite formalities in Morocco and Nigeria. He claims the trouble began after he met Gumi at a pharmacy and later introduced his wife to him. Gumi allegedly insisted Idris obtain an additional marriage certificate from a Sharia Court, and then requested that his wife come for counselling due to her young age. Idris says he took her to Gumi out of trust, but she has remained in the cleric’s custody ever since. He also accused Gumi of frustrating police investigations into her disappearance.
The complaints, filed at multiple Kaduna courts, allege criminal conspiracy, wrongful confinement, theft of $20,000 and 6,000 Saudi Riyals, and forgery of court documents. Gumi is described as “a person of influence who holds himself out as a religious leader”.
Denying the allegations, Gumi said he would sue Idris for defamation, claiming the woman has already left Nigeria and is with her parents in Morocco.