Islamic cleric Sheikh Abubakar Gumi has urged the Nigerian government to immediately end all military collaboration with the United States, cautioning that sustained US involvement could transform Nigeria into a “theatre of war.”
He made the appeal in response to the US airstrikes against ISIS militants carried out on Christmas Day, contending that foreign military intervention—especially by the United States—would worsen insecurity rather than fix it.
In a Facebook post on Friday titled “The Symbolism of the US Strike!”, Gumi argued that Nigeria should instead turn to what he called more “neutral” allies such as China, Turkey and Pakistan for military support in addressing its security problems.
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“The US involvement in Nigeria will attract the real anti-US forces, making our land the theatre of war,” Gumi wrote. “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.”
Although he acknowledged that combating terrorism is justified, the cleric maintained that the task should not be handed over to foreign powers, which he accused of pursuing hidden agendas.
“Annihilating terrorists is an Islamic obligation,” he said, referencing a Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). “But it should only be carried out by clean, holy hands, not by another terrorist whose hands are stained with the blood of hundreds of thousands of innocent children, women, and men.”
He described Nigeria’s dependence on the United States in the fight against terrorism as a “mistake,” asserting that, in his view, “terrorists don’t fight terrorists in truth; they may only kill innocent people and have ulterior motives behind the drama of fighting ‘terror’.”
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Gumi further cautioned that US involvement—particularly under the justification of protecting Christians—could heighten religious tensions and weaken Nigeria’s sovereignty.
“The USA’s involvement in Nigeria, citing coming to ‘protect Christians’, will ultimately polarise our nation and infringe on our sovereignty,” he stated. “Nigeria should halt all military cooperation with the USA immediately because of its imperial tendencies worldwide.”
He also predicted that security issues would dominate future political debates in the country. “Nigerians are too educated to be played with. This is going to be a 2027 campaign discourse,” he added.
On counterterrorism strategy, the cleric argued that airstrikes alone cannot defeat terrorism.
“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,” he said, urging affected communities to record and share evidence of any civilian casualties.
Gumi also expressed concern over what he described as the symbolic nature of the reported strike, claiming it could inflame religious divisions.
“The attacks are symbolic of a harbinger of a neo-Crusade war against Islam,” he claimed.“An attack on Sokoto, where over 90 per cent 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.”
He further alleged that terrorism in Nigeria was being exploited by vested interests.
“We believe the terror is manufactured and sustained by the same people claiming to fight it. A word is enough for the wise,” he said.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that the United States had carried out a “powerful and deadly” strike against ISIS militants in North-West Nigeria.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the operation targeted fighters responsible for killing “innocent Christians” and was authorised by him as Commander-in-Chief.
“Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in North-West Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!” Trump posted on Christmas Day.”
The Nigerian government has also responded through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“Nigerian authorities remain engaged in structured security cooperation with international partners, including the United States of America, in addressing the persistent threat of terrorism and violent extremism.
“This has led to precision hits on terrorist targets in Nigeria by air strikes in the North-West,” the ministry’s spokesperson, Kimiebi lmomotimi Ebienfa, said in a statement on Friday.
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Gumi is the biggest fool in northern Nigeria I want him and other sponsors of terrorism and supporters to be targeted in the airstrikes and killed Pls the US military in Nigeria should take note of this bcos killing the ISIS terrorists ,boko haram jihadists and other extremists alone without killing the likes of Gumi is a short term victory why they will recruit others to continue