Islamic scholar Sheikh Ahmad Abubakar Gumi has strongly criticised recent United States military strikes in Nigeria, cautioning that foreign involvement could further destabilise the country and transform it into a theatre of war.
According to SaharaReporters, after reports of U.S. air operations in the northwest, Gumi urged the Nigerian government to suspend all military cooperation with Washington, warning that external interventions risk inflaming existing tensions rather than resolving them.
On Christmas Day, December 25, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that American forces had carried out what he described as “numerous precise strikes” against terrorists in Nigeria. According to Trump, the targets were ISIS-linked fighters accused of orchestrating mass killings of Christians in the region.
“These militants have been viciously killing, primarily innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even centuries,” Trump said, adding that he had previously warned the groups to halt the violence or face consequences.
The Nigerian government later confirmed the strikes through the Minister of Foreign Affairs, acknowledging that operations had taken place in parts of northern Nigeria.
Gumi, however, argued that such actions could worsen insecurity, stressing that Nigeria must find homegrown solutions to its security challenges rather than relying on foreign military interventions.
In a statement titled “The Symbolism of the US Strike!” posted on Facebook, Gumi said eliminating terrorists is permissible under Islamic teachings but must be carried out with sincerity and moral integrity. He argued that foreign powers accused of mass civilian casualties elsewhere should not lead such operations.
Gumi described Nigeria’s cooperation with Washington as a strategic mistake, insisting that “terrorists don’t fight terrorists in truth” and warning that U.S. involvement could attract anti-American forces and turn Nigeria into a theatre of war. He suggested that if military assistance is needed, countries like China, Turkey, and Pakistan would be more suitable partners.
The cleric cautioned that U.S. intervention framed as protecting Christians risked polarising Nigeria along religious lines. He urged the Federal Government to suspend all military cooperation with Washington, calling American actions “imperial tendencies worldwide.”
Gumi also questioned the focus of the strikes, noting reports of attacks in Sokoto, a predominantly Muslim region, while the epicentre of insurgency remains in Maiduguri. He described the operations as symbolic of a “neo-Crusade war against Islam” and alleged that terrorism in Nigeria is being “manufactured and sustained by the same people claiming to fight it.”
He further argued that airstrikes alone cannot defeat terrorism, stressing the need for ground operations by Nigeria’s own forces and urging communities to document civilian casualties.
Gumi predicted the issue could dominate political discourse ahead of the 2027 general elections.
