Mrs Oluremi Tinubu, the wife of President Bola Tinubu, has responded to a recent threat by an unidentified cleric in Bauchi purportedly wishing her dead.

A viral video surfaced a few weeks ago in which the Islamic cleric declared that Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, deserved to die for her Christian faith, while describing the Muslim/Muslim ticket that brought President Bola Tinubu to power as a scam.

The Islamic cleric declared that Oluremi Tinubu deserves to die for being a pastor.

The cleric is heard saying the Muslim/Muslim ticket that brought President Bola Tinubu to power was a scam.

Idris Tenshi therefore, averred that the wife of the president, “being an infidel should be put to death as provided for in the Quran”. He, however, did not provide any chapter or verse of the Quran to support his claim.

“Now, Tinubu, his wife is an infidel. As an infidel, she is a leader among the infidels.

“God’s judgement says she must be killed. She’s a pastor… a leader of infidels (Christians); Allah says they must be killed…,” he said.

Idris Tenshi later apologised over his comments after the Youth Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (YOWICAN) demanded the arrest and prosecution of the cleric.

The group said there is an urgent need for the government and security agencies to take action against the cleric.

However, in a new video, Tenshi apologised to the wife of the president over his comments.

He said everything he said was “a mistake”, adding that he has withdrawn all that he said.

“I would like to pass this message to Nigerians regarding a video I did which is circulating on social media,” he said.

“All the things I said were a mistake and I don’t stand on the words I said. Other clerics have given me a proper explanation of the verse that I quoted.

“As a human being, I am prone to making mistakes. I am apologising to her excellency Remi Tinubu over the comments I made and taking back the words I said.

“I am also apologising to Nigerians because she (Remi Tinubu) is like a mother to us. The season of politics is over. I made those comments during the time the campaign was taking place.

‘Now that God has given Bola Tinubu power, we have no other option than to support him and wish him and his family well. Whoever felt offended by the things I said, I am sorry.”

In October 2023, an Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi said Muslim officers don’t perpetrate injustice like their Christian counterparts, even when they dominate security services.

The cleric, in a video sermon of over 14 minutes posted on his official Facebook page, also said Christians and southerners could not be trusted with power in Nigeria like northern Muslims.

He said during former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, a Christian cleric complained to him about Buhari’s nepotism and the predominance of Muslims as heads of security agencies.

According to him, his reply was that Muslims are not as evil as Christians when they are in power.

He said, “During the (Muhammadu) Buhari presidency, a certain Christian cleric complained that Muslim officers were appointed heads of security organisations. My response was that Muslims would not use that as an advantage to maltreat anyone whether they’re Muslims or non-Muslims. In contrast, if they (Christians) are occupying those positions, they’ll destroy us.

“Check the history, who murdered Sardauna (Sir Ahmadu Bello)? It was (Maj. Chukwuma Kaduna) Nzeogwu. Who murdered Murtala (Muhammed)? It was (Lt. Col. Buka) Dimka. As for (Ibrahim) Babangida, he narrowly escaped death; who was his aggressor? (Gideon) Orkar, a northern Christian. You see, once you give these people power, they’ll use it to destroy you.

“A Tanzanian, one Ali Mazara’u, once said you don’t give away power and if you must, there have to be clear-cut conditions detailing sharing formula. You must negotiate to have control of the defence and several other crucial agencies. But disgustingly, you cheaply surrendered power (alluding to Buhari) and went into oblivion.

“Therefore, make no mistake, once the Israelis are allowed into this country, they’ll carry out clandestine operations; the elimination of prominent Muslim clerics. Why do you think they eliminated Sheikh Jafar (Mahmood Adam)? Why was (Sheikh Muhamman Auwal) Albani murdered? The list of those to be eliminated is endless. This explains why we requested police protection during Buhari’s administration. They provided us with police guards, and even though the president never liked my face, they did it anyway because if something happened to me the president would be held responsible.

“You want to bring the Mossad into our country? Let Tinubu be told that we’re not oblivious of the plan; we’re aware. He must remove the FCT minister or else he will have us to contend with.”

“Again, let me repeat, as I said earlier, I replied to the Christian cleric that whether Muslim officers dominate all the security services, they don’t perpetrate injustice like the Christian officers; because they murdered Sardauna, Tafawa Balewa, Murtala, etc. In contrast, tell me which Christian leader was killed by Muslims.

“Yet they kept blabbing about Buhari’s so-called nepotism. There was an element of nepotism under Buhari, I reckon. But our (Muslim) nepotism is not evil (wicked) because it does no harm to anyone. If it cannot promote your interest, it won’t harm it either; here is the difference. That’s why I keep warning that power should not slip from our hands into theirs,” he added.

However, undeterred by the threat, the First Lady said that, at 64 years of age, she shouldn’t fear death.

She made these remarks during a courtesy visit to the Emir of Bauchi, Alhaji Rilwan Adamu, before commissioning some projects in the State on Tuesday.

She said: “I want to thank His Excellency (Bauchi Governor); he keeps assuring me that I am safe in Bauchi, but I want to say that I am too old to be afraid. If God has granted me over 60 years on earth, I shouldn’t fear death.

“I thank God that you encouraged me to come. Nigeria belongs to all of us, and this is the time for us to unite more than ever before.”

In response, Bauchi Governor, Bala Mohammed, who accompanied the First Lady to the Emir’s Palace, condemned the recent death threats made against her, labeling it a “national embarrassment.”

Addressing the incident, Mohammed expressed his dismay, describing the threat as unacceptable.

He assured Mrs. Tinubu of her safety in the state and pledged to take appropriate action against the cleric responsible for the threat.

Remi Tinubu, who also serves as the National Chairperson of the Renewed Hope Initiative, was in the state to inaugurate some ICT and educational facilities in the capital.