Controversial Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmed Gumi has called Nigerians who praise the recent United States airstrikes against extremist groups “stupid,” describing their support as misguided.
The airstrikes, reportedly conducted with Nigeria’s approval, targeted Islamic State‑linked militant camps in Sokoto State.
Officials said the operations were precision attacks based on intelligence shared by Abuja, aimed at weakening insurgent networks.
Gumi criticised the Nigerian government for allowing foreign military involvement and called for it to demand the withdrawal of U.S. forces.
He said: “The Nigeria government should call the attention of the ambassadors concerned to immediately withdraw the US military intervention on Nigeria insurgency fight.”
He then addressed citizens who had welcomed the strikes, describing such reactions as a misunderstanding of the implications for national security.
“This is nothing but a betrayal of our Nigerians. Some people will be saying that since we cannot end the insecurity and we have United States government intervention, why don’t we gladly accept the help?” he said in a video.
“There are stupid people whose thinking faculty is very small; they are the ones who will think so.”
“This person (US President Donald Trump) must be stopped and chased out. This is a person that has his hands stained with the blood of children and adults,” he said.
“How can you call for assistance from a thief when they enter your house?”
In a statement titled ‘The Symbolism of the US Strike,’ posted on his Facebook page last week, Gumi said Nigeria had made a strategic error by allowing cooperation with the United States, insisting that “terrorists don’t fight terrorists in truth; they may only kill innocent people and have ulterior motives behind the drama of fighting ‘terror.’”
He further stated that no country should allow its territory to become a battleground or permit its neighbours to become enemies, warning that foreign military presence often comes with hidden agendas.
“If Nigeria wants military assistance, China, Turkey, and Pakistan can do the job effectively,” he said, adding that U.S. involvement would “attract the real anti-US forces, making our land the theatre of war.”
Gumi also cautioned that American intervention under the guise of protecting Christians could deepen religious divisions and undermine national sovereignty.
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