Controversial Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Abubakar Gumi has criticised reports that the United States might intervene militarily against terrorists in Nigeria, describing the U.S. as a “nation of liars” and warning that any bombing campaign would worsen the country’s insecurity.
Speaking in an interview on Arise TV, Gumi said the U.S. has a history of deceit and destructive interference, citing its interventions in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. “America are known to be liars,” he said, adding that past claims—such as the assertion that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction—have proved false. “So when they say they want to help Nigeria by bombing terrorists, I don’t believe them,” he said.
Gumi argued that Nigerians might be more inclined to trust offers of help from countries such as China or Russia, which he said do not “poke their noses into other people’s internal affairs.” He stressed, however, that if outsiders could truly eliminate the terrorists he would welcome it. “If Americans can cure and eliminate the terrorists, I will welcome it myself,” he said.
The cleric warned that a U.S.-led military strike would cause massive civilian casualties and deepen the crisis. He pointed to the long, inconclusive campaign in Afghanistan as evidence that bombing alone cannot defeat insurgent groups. “This terrorist you see, it’s not easy to just come and drop bombs here and there, and think you’ve finished them. They have infiltrated the society,” Gumi said. “So it’s going to cause more damage. More Muslims and more Christians will be killed if America would drop a bomb in Nigeria.”
Gumi also questioned the ability of military force to resolve the problem, noting that the Nigerian army has struggled for years against Boko Haram and armed bandits. “If the 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, then foreign intervention may only compound the problem,” he said, calling the bandits “even more vicious.”
A long-time advocate of direct engagement with armed groups, Gumi defended his controversial peace missions into northern forests, describing dialogue as the only viable path to lasting security. He said his visits to militant camps aim to understand grievances and persuade fighters to abandon violence. “You don’t treat a disease without diagnosis,” he said. “By going to talk with them and sit down with them and to hear their grievances and understand their psychology, we are able now to contain the problem.”
Gumi described progress in parts of Kaduna state, where he said mass killings have subsided as a result of dialogue and cooperation with local authorities. He acknowledged the process is “gradual but effective,” insisting that slowly “we will civilize them, take away their weapons, and make them good citizens.” Reiterating his main point, he warned once more: “I’m telling you, bombing will not solve this problem. It will make it dirty.”
