Provocative Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Abubakar Gumi, has criticized any talk of U.S. airstrikes in Nigeria, calling Washington a “nation of liars” and warning that bombing bandits would make the country’s bloodletting far worse.
Speaking on Arise TV, Gumi pointed to America’s chaotic track record in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya as proof that foreign strikes worsen conflicts — not end them. “America are known to be liars,” Gumi said. “They said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, and there were none. They have caused confusion in Iraq, in Libya, and everywhere. So when they say they want to help Nigeria by bombing terrorists, I don’t believe them.”
He questioned vague claims that “Christians are killing” in Nigeria and said foreign powers have failed to distinguish who is responsible. “So when they say Christians are killing, or there is massacre of Christians in Nigeria, from which side, they didn’t specify whether it is the government, or whether it is the Muslims that are doing it. Or even if Christians are targeted, whatever it is. If Americans can cure and eliminate the terrorists, I will welcome it myself.”
Gumi argued Nigerians might trust offers of help more if they came from China or Russia, which he said “do not poke their noses into other people’s internal affairs.” “If it’s China coming to say that, people will believe it. Because China is not pokenosing into our internal affairs. If it’s Russians, people will believe them.”
He warned bluntly that U.S. airstrikes would inflict heavy civilian casualties and deepen sectarian violence: “But I know they cannot. Let me tell you, they have fought 20 years in Afghanistan, they could not finish them. Afghanistan is in Syria now. … So it’s going to cause more damage. More Muslims and more Christians will be killed if America would drop a bomb in Nigeria. I’m telling you this. And you can take it for a record.”
Instead of force, Gumi urged negotiation and engagement with armed groups — a tactic he says has yielded local results where governors and communities cooperated. “I’ve been going to see how we can pacify these people and redirect them. Because they are human beings. They listen and reason. … Slowly, we will civilize them, take away their weapons, and make them good citizens,” he said, stressing that “using force against force will only make things worse.”
Gumi also noted the Nigerian military’s long struggle against Boko Haram and bandits, arguing that external bombing won’t solve a problem deeply embedded in communities and society. “If Nigerian army, which has been very active in many hotspots, cannot deal with this issue for 15 years with Boko Harams, and now the bandits. And to me, the bandits are even more vicious.Because they are active,” he said.
The cleric’s comments add fuel to a tense national debate over how best to tackle militancy and banditry — and come amid international attention on violence in parts of the country.
