Prominent Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has strongly condemned the United States military airstrike carried out in parts of Sokoto State on Christmas Day, describing it as a dangerous “neo-Crusade” and a direct assault on Islam and Northern Nigerian Muslims.
Gumi, in a statement issued on Friday, faulted the justification given by U.S. authorities for the strike, warning that foreign military involvement would further destabilise Nigeria and deepen religious divisions.
“The attacks are symbolic of a harbinger of a neo-Crusade war against Islam,” the cleric said.
“Why attack Sokoto, where over 90 per cent of the population are Muslims and where there is no imminent terror threat, while the real epicentre of terrorism has historically been Maiduguri? The timing, on Christmas Eve, and the claim of protecting Christians, say a lot.”
The cleric, who has consistently opposed large-scale military offensives against armed groups, argued that the bombing would attract global extremist networks and turn Nigeria into a theatre of proxy wars.
“The involvement of the United States will draw real anti-U.S. forces into our land,” he warned.
“Coming under the guise of ‘protecting Christians’ will polarise the nation, undermine our sovereignty and worsen insecurity.”
Gumi went further to accuse the United States of hypocrisy, describing it as a “terrorist nation” with a long record of civilian casualties across the world.
“Terrorists should be eliminated only by holy hands, not by another terrorist whose hands are stained with the blood of hundreds of thousands of innocent women, children and men,” he said.
He insisted that Nigeria should never allow its territory to be used as a battleground by foreign powers, adding that if external military assistance was required, the country should turn to “neutral nations” such as China, Turkey or Pakistan.
Calling on President Bola Tinubu’s administration to act swiftly, Gumi urged the Federal Government to immediately suspend all military cooperation with Washington.
“Nigerians are too educated to be played with,” he said, warning that the development would become a major issue in the run-up to the 2027 general elections.
The cleric also questioned the effectiveness of airstrikes in addressing terrorism, stressing that security challenges could only be resolved through coordinated ground operations.
“Dropping a few bombs here and there cannot tackle the menace of terror,” he said. “If we are serious, we have enough men on the ground to deal with this. Communities affected should document and upload evidence of casualties, if any.”
Meanwhile, a U.S. lawmaker, Riley Moore, defended the strike, saying it marked the beginning of a broader effort to end what he described as the “genocide of Christians” in Nigeria.
Moore quoted President Donald Trump as saying the United States would not allow “radical Islamic terrorism” to thrive, claiming the airstrikes targeted ISIS elements allegedly responsible for attacks on Christian communities in the North-West.
“Tonight’s strike, carried out in coordination with the Nigerian government, is just the first step toward ending the slaughter of Christians and the wider security crisis affecting all Nigerians,” Moore said.
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