Abdulrahaman Ahmad, the son of prominent and controversial cleric Sheikh Abubakar Gumi, has graduated from the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) in Kaduna.

The news was confirmed on Sunday by former Kaduna Central senator Shehu Sani, who shared a photo of Gumi standing proudly beside his son on X (formerly Twitter).

“Sheikh Gumi’s son Abdulrahaman Ahmad graduated from the Nigerian Defence Academy. Congratulations and wishing him all the best in the service to our country,” Sani wrote.

According to The Cable, the cadets’ official passing-out parade is scheduled for Saturday, September 27, though the photo making the rounds was taken during a pre-graduation event.

Sheikh Gumi, himself a retired army captain, has become a controversial figure in recent years for advocating dialogue with armed bandit groups. He has repeatedly urged the government to reintegrate bandits in the same way it handled Niger Delta militants.

Just a day before his son’s graduation news surfaced, Gumi had warned security agencies not to undermine peace pacts reached between local communities and bandit leaders in parts of Katsina State, cautioning that breaching the agreements could reignite violence.

For years, Gumi has argued that dialogue remains the most sustainable solution to ending insecurity in northern Nigeria.