SaharaReporters earlier reported that on Christmas Day, December 25, 2025, President Donald Trump said the U.S. carried out what he described as “numerous precise strikes” against terrorists in northwest Nigeria, claiming they were responsible for mass killings of Christians.
Islamic scholar, Ahmad Abubakar Gumi, has criticised the United States military strikes against terrorists in Nigeria, warning that such involvement could further destabilise the country and turn it into a theatre of war.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that on Christmas Day, December 25, 2025, President Donald Trump said the U.S. carried out what he described as “numerous precise strikes” against terrorists in northwest Nigeria, claiming they were responsible for mass killings of Christians.
Trump said the operation was conducted under his authority as Commander-in-Chief and targeted ISIS-linked fighters operating in parts of Nigeria that have suffered years of violence and insecurity.
According to Trump, the militants had been “viciously killing, primarily innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even centuries.” He added that he had previously warned the groups to stop the killings or face consequences.
The Nigerian government later confirmed, through the Minister of Foreign Affairs, that strikes had occurred in parts of northern Nigeria.
In a statement titled “The Symbolism of the US Strike!” he posted on Facebook, Gumi argued that while the elimination of terrorists is permissible within Islamic teachings, such actions must be carried out with sincerity and moral integrity.
“Annihilating terrorists is an Islamic obligation. The Prophet, peace be upon him, wished he annihilated them.
“He said, ‘Should I live till they appear, I would kill them as the killing of the nation of ‘Ad’,” Gumi said, citing narrations from Al-Bukhari and Muslim.
However, he maintained that counterterrorism efforts should not be conducted by actors he accused of being responsible for large-scale civilian casualties elsewhere.
He said, “This said, it 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 just recently.”
Gumi alleged that 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.
“The USA's involvement in Nigeria, citing coming to ‘protect Christians’, will ultimately polarize our nation and infringe on our sovereignty,” he said.
Calling for an immediate policy shift, the cleric urged the Federal Government to suspend all military cooperation with Washington.
“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 said.
Gumi described the issue as one that could dominate political discourse ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He further argued that airstrikes alone were insufficient to defeat terrorism.
“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,” Gumi said, calling on affected communities to document and share evidence of any civilian casualties.
Gumi described the attacks as “symbolic of a harbinger neo-Crusade war against Islam,” questioning the focus of reported strikes.
“Attack on Sokoto, where 90% are Muslim 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 stated.
He alleged that terrorism in Nigeria is being “manufactured and sustained by the same people claiming to fight it,” adding, “A word is enough for the wise!”