Nigerian Muslim Cleric Says US Airstrike is “a Mistake”

By Njodzeka Kernyuy 

A Nigerian Muslim cleric and former military officer, Dr Ahmad Abubakar Mahmud Gumi, has condemned the airstrike carried out by the US military in Sokoto State, Northwest Nigeria, describing it as a mistake.

On Christmas Night, President Donald Trump announced the precision airstrike targeting terrorist groups.

Trump said the strike was necessitated by the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria by what he described as Islamist groups.

However, renowned Muslim cleric Dr Ahmad Abubakar Mahmud Gumi, who once rose to the rank of captain in the Nigerian Army, said, ‘Annihilating terrorists is an Islamic obligation. The Prophet – peace be upon him – wished he annihilated them.” 

To him, Nigeria is making a mistake by condoning the US airstrike.

“This is the mistake Nigeria has made. Terrorists don’t fight terrorists in truth; they may only kill innocent people and have ulterior motives behind the drama of fighting ‘terror,’” he said.

To him, as a principle, no nation should allow its land to be a theatre of war. According to the cleric, no nation should allow its neighbours to be their enemies.

“If Nigeria wants military assistance, China, Turkey, and Pakistan can do the job effectively,” he said, adding that “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.”

Campaign Discourse 

To the cleric, 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. He believes that Nigerians are too educated to be played with. 

“This is going to be a 2027 campaign discourse,” he stated.

The presidential election is coming up in Nigeria in 2027, and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will likely seek another mandate.

Sheikh Gumi stated that dropping a few bombs here and there cannot tackle the menace of terror. To him, they need a serious military on the ground, which, if they are serious, they have enough men to do.

“We call on all villages affected to upload videos and pictures of any casualties involved.”

The attacks, he added, are symbolic of a harbinger of a neo-Crusade war against Islam. 

“The attack on Sokoto, where 90% are Muslim with no imminent danger of terror, while the real threat is in Maiduguri on 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.”