Sheikh Ahmed Gumi, a well-known Islamic preacher, has denied popular social media rumours that US army forces detained him in Nigeria.

The denial came after an image went viral on Thursday, February 5, purporting to show the cleric being arrested by US troops at an airport in Nigeria.

The picture surfaced a few days after it was reported that President Donald Trump had given his approval for a small group of American soldiers to be sent to Nigeria in order to aid in terrorist operations.

Posts on social media claimed that foreign forces were present in Nigeria at the time of the alleged arrest and connected the picture to an alleged international operation.

In a phone interview with SaharaReporters on Thursday, Sheikh Gumi vehemently denied the accusations and questioned their reasoning.

Some users further claimed that Sheikh Gumi was stopped when trying to fly to Turkey due to suspected ties to terrorist organisations and their camps.

“The US Army cannot arrest me in Nigeria. Why will the US Army come and arrest me in Nigeria, for what reason?” he asked.

Additionally, Gumi contested the viral image’s veracity, claiming it was digitally created.

“The image is Artificial Intelligence (AI)-generated. Even a layman will know that the image is AI,” he said.

He concluded the interview by stating clearly, “I have not been arrested.”

Sheikh Gumi’s support for communication with bandits, whom he characterised as irate people who may be convinced to accept peace, has drawn criticism in recent months.

Many Nigerians also reacted strongly to his recent remarks regarding US military actions.

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