Sokoto Airstrike: US operations will make Nigeria theatre of war –Gumi

Renowned Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has called on the Federal Government to discontinue the United States military  imtervention in fighting terrorism, saying it will attract anti-US forces to Nigeria and make the country a theatre of war.

He advised the government to, instead, seek assistance from China, Turkey, an Pakistan in tackling terrorism.

Gumi made the call in a post on his verified Facebook page, reacting to the recent airstrike carried out by American forces in Sokoto State.

While acknowledging that fighting terrorism is legitimate within Islam, the cleric warned that such efforts must not be outsourced to foreign powers with questionable motives.

“Annihilating terrorists is an Islamic obligation. The Prophet (peace be upon him) wished he annihilated them,” Gumi wrote, citing a Hadith recorded by Al-Bukhari and Muslim.

“However, this should only be carried out by clean, holy hands, not by another terrorist whose hands are stained with the blood of hundreds of thousands of innocent children, women, and men.”

According to him, Nigeria risks worsening its security challenges by allowing the United States to operate militarily on its soil.

“Terrorists don’t fight terrorists in truth; they may only kill innocent people and have ulterior motives behind the drama of fighting ‘terror’,” he stated.

Gumi argued that no sovereign nation should permit its territory to become a theater of war, warning that US involvement would attract global anti-American forces and turn Nigeria into a battleground for external conflicts.

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

“The US involvement in Nigeria will attract the real anti-US forces, making our land the theater of war.”

He further expressed concern that America’s justification of military action as a means of “protecting Christians” could polarize Nigeria along religious lines and undermine national unity.

“The USA’s involvement in Nigeria, citing coming to ‘protect Christians’, will ultimately polarize our nation and infringe on our sovereignty,” Gumi warned.

Calling for an immediate halt to military cooperation with Washington, the scholar described US foreign policy as imperial, adding that Nigerians should not be deceived by symbolic military actions.

“Dropping a few bombs here and there cannot tackle the menace of terror. They need serious military on the ground, which, if we are serious, we have enough men to do that,” he said.

Reacting specifically to the location and timing of the Sokoto strike, Gumi questioned its strategic intent.

“Attack on Sokoto, where over 90 percent are Muslims with no imminent danger of terror, while the real threat is in Maiduguri, and on a Christmas Eve, with the claim of protecting against Christian genocide, says a lot,” he wrote.

He concluded by alleging that terrorism is often “manufactured and sustained by the same people claiming to fight it,” urging Nigerians to remain vigilant.

“A word is enough for the wise,” Gumi added.

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