The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) on Saturday condemned remarks by Islamic cleric Sheik Ahmad Gumi, who alleged that Christians in the Middle Belt were staging funerals to fabricate a narrative of genocide.

Describing Gumi’s comments as insensitive, irresponsible, and morally reprehensible, the PFN rejected the claims in a statement titled “Rebuttal of Ahmad Gumi’s False and Dangerous Claim”, issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Dr. Sylvanus Ukafia.

The statement reads:

“We strongly condemn the recent statement by Ahmad Gumi alleging that Christians in the Middle Belt are ‘burying empty coffins’ to fabricate a narrative of genocide. This claim is baseless, inflammatory, and collapses under the slightest scrutiny.

Across Nigerian cultures—Christian, Muslim, and traditional—there is no practice of burying empty coffins. Funerals are communal rites anchored on real names, real families, and real histories. The idea that entire communities are staging fake burials without a single whistleblower or inconsistency is not only illogical but deeply insulting.

Gumi’s allegation rests entirely on an unnamed ‘doctor’ without any verifiable details: no name, no location, no evidence, no photos, no timestamps. This is hearsay masquerading as fact.”

The PFN’s rebuttal underscores the tension and sensitivity surrounding discussions of violence in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, calling for careful, evidence-based discourse rather than unverified claims.