Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has condemned the United States’ bombing of a terrorist hideout in Sokoto State, north-western Nigeria.
Gumi, who spoke in a statement issued on Friday, December 26, described the deadly airstrikes as potentially polarising and harmful to national sovereignty.
New Telegraph had earlier reported that US President Donald Trump’s on Thursday, announced that US forces have conducted “numerous deadly strikes” in north-western Nigeria.
Trump stressed that the strikes were aimed at Islamic State terrorists targeting Christians, and the Federal Government’s confirmation of ongoing security and intelligence cooperation with the US.
According to a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the attack was carried out in collaboration, which led to precision airstrikes, involving intelligence sharing and strategic coordination in line with international law and Nigeria’s sovereignty.
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It emphasised that all counter-terrorism efforts prioritise civilian protection and national unity.
However, in a Facebook post hours after the attacks, Gumi contended that killing terrorists is an Islamic obligation, citing the Prophet Muhammad’s wish to destroy such groups.
Conversely, he maintained that such action should be undertaken by “clean, holy hands” rather than foreign powers whose past, he claimed, includes killing innocent civilians.
Gumi further called on the Federal Government to stop military cooperation with the US and instead seek assistance from “neutral countries” such as China, Turkey, and Pakistan. He added that dropping bombs cannot tackle terrorism effectively, noting that Nigeria has sufficient personnel for ground operations.
“As a principle, no nation should allow its land to be a theatre of war. And no nation should allow its neighbours to be their enemies. If Nigeria wants military assistance, China, Turkey, and Pakistan can do the job effectively.
“The US involvement in Nigeria will attract the real anti-US forces, making our land the theatre of war. The USA’s involvement in Nigeria, citing coming to ‘protect Christians’, will ultimately polarise our nation and infringe on our sovereignty
“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.
“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.”
The cleric also described the airstrikes on Sokoto, a largely Muslim area, as symbolic of a neo-Crusade war against Islam and criticised the focus on regions with minimal immediate terrorist threats.
“The attacks are symbolic of a harbinger neo-Crusade war against Islam. Attack on Sokoto, where 90% are Muslim with no imminent danger of terror, while the real threat is in Maiduguri 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.
