Islamic scholar Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, a prominent Nigerian cleric known for his outspoken views on national security and religious affairs, has strongly criticized recent United States military airstrikes targeting terrorist camps in northwestern Nigeria, warning that the intervention could deepen national divisions and weaken Nigeria’s sovereignty.
The criticism followed a public announcement by United States President Donald Trump, the forty-fifth and forty seventh President of the United States of America, who confirmed that United States forces carried out what he described as “numerous deadly strikes” against Islamic State-linked fighters operating in parts of northwestern Nigeria.
Nigeria’s Federal Government later acknowledged that the airstrikes were conducted under an ongoing security and intelligence partnership with the United States. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the cooperation involved intelligence sharing and strategic coordination and was carried out in accordance with international law and Nigeria’s sovereign authority. The ministry also stated that civilian protection and national unity remained central to all counter-terrorism operations. Okay News reports that the government views the partnership as part of a broader effort to address persistent insecurity across several regions.
In a statement shared on his official Facebook page on Friday, 26 December 2025, Sheikh Gumi said eliminating terrorist groups aligns with Islamic teachings, noting that the Prophet Muhammad advocated confronting violent extremists. However, he argued that such actions should be carried out internally and not by foreign powers whose military histories, he claimed, include civilian casualties.
He called on Nigeria’s Federal Government to immediately end military collaboration with the United States and instead seek support from what he described as neutral nations, including the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of Türkiye, and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. According to him, Nigeria possesses enough military personnel to address security threats through sustained ground operations rather than aerial bombardments.
“As a principle, no nation should allow its land to be a theater of war. And no nation should allow its neighbors to be their enemies. If Nigeria wants military assistance, China, Turkey, and Pakistan can do the job effectively,” he said.
“The US involvement in Nigeria will attract the real anti-US forces, making our land the theater of war. The USA’s involvement in Nigeria, citing coming to ‘protect Christians’, will ultimately polarize our nation and infringe on our sovereignty,” Gumi added.
The cleric further warned that foreign military involvement could become a political issue ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, insisting that Nigerians were too informed to be misled by external interests.
“Nigeria should halt all military cooperation with the USA immediately because of its imperial tendencies worldwide and seek the help of those neutral countries mentioned. Nigerians are too educated to be played with. This is going to be a 2027 campaign discourse,” he stated.
Gumi also questioned the effectiveness of airstrikes, saying, “Meanwhile, dropping a few bombs here and there cannot tackle the menace of terror; they need serious military on the ground, which, if we are serious, we have enough men to do that. We call on all villages affected to upload videos and pictures of any casualties involved.”
Addressing the reported strikes in Sokoto State, located in northwestern Nigeria and predominantly Muslim, Gumi described the action as symbolic and dangerous, suggesting it could be interpreted as an ideological conflict against Islam.
“The attacks are symbolic of a harbinger neo-Crusade war against Islam. Attack on Sokoto, where ninety percent are Muslim with no imminent danger of terror, while the real threat is in Maiduguri, Borno State, northeastern Nigeria, and on a Christmas Eve, with the claim of protecting against Christian genocide, says a lot. We believe the terror is manufactured and sustained by the same people claiming to fight it,” he said.
