An Islamic cleric, Sheikh Abubakar Gumi, has warned against any form of foreign military involvement in Nigeria’s counterterrorism operations, arguing that such intervention could attract international terrorist networks and further worsen insecurity in the country.
In a statement posted on Facebook on Monday, May 18, Gumi said Nigeria’s sovereignty “is a red line,” while cautioning against what he described as attempts to hand over the nation’s security challenges to foreign interests.
“As a peace advocate, I am stunned by some remarks from ignorance that the military was or is prevented from engaging bandits or Boko Haram. This claim is false and malicious,” he said.
The cleric maintained that at no point had the Nigerian military suspended operations against insurgents under the guise of amnesty, except during the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme introduced by late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
“Never for one second has the military halted hostilities in the name of Amnesty against unrepentant terrorists except the Niger Delta militants who got a blanket Amnesty from Yar’Adua of blessed memory,” he stated.
Gumi lamented that nearly 17 years after the 2009 extrajudicial killing of Boko Haram founder, Muhammad Yusuf, the insurgent group continues to pose a major security threat across Nigeria.
“Today, almost 17 years since 2009 when Muhammad Yusuf was summarily executed extra- judicially, Boko Haram has remained a thorn in the throat of Nigerians killing high-ranking officers,” he said.
The cleric blamed the prolonged insurgency partly on what he described as failures in the implementation of military operations, arguing that abuses against civilians had weakened public trust and undermined the fight against terrorism.
“The gross failure of the kinetic approach is chiefly attributed to the morality of our fighting force. Until innocent people are safe from our excesses in the application of the kinetic approach and our hands are not stained with the blood of innocent people, the war is going to erode our sovereignty which it has already,” he said.
According to him, the Nigerian military possesses the capacity to tackle insecurity if operations are conducted without “prejudices and deception.”
“The military can handle the situation if the rules of engagement are free from prejudices and deception, both in the application of force and finances,” he added.
Gumi, however, strongly opposed possible involvement of the United States or other foreign powers in Nigeria’s anti-terror campaign, warning that such intervention could transform the country into a new battleground for global extremist groups.
“The involvement of the USA will only attract the international terror groups to the ‘new arena’ exposing Nigeria to an unnecessary increase in violence, in which these same foreign forces are complicit,” he said.
The cleric also referenced allegations involving former American diplomat, Russell Hanks, questioning why he allegedly declined to comment on accusations surrounding the 1995 bombing of a bookshop at Durbar Hotel in Kaduna.
He further cited remarks made by Scott Perry, who alleged in February 2025 that the United States Agency for International Development had inadvertently funded terrorist organisations, including Boko Haram, ISIS and Al-Qaeda.
“U.S. Congressman Scott Perry, a Republican representing Pennsylvania, alleged in February 2025 that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) had inadvertently provided funding to terrorist organizations, including Boko Haram, ISIS, and Al-Qaeda,” Gumi stated.
The cleric also criticised Nigerians who support foreign intervention, saying some citizens were too willing to surrender the country’s sovereignty to external interests.
“Nigerians especially a section of them are not just gullible but have a slave mentality ever ready to hand over the sovereignty of our dear nation to foreign interests. We have to resist foreign subjugation and disgrace,” he said.
He concluded the statement with a call for national unity and support for Nigeria’s armed forces.
On Saturday, the Defence Headquarters, Abuja, confirmed the killing of Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, described as a senior ISIS commander and one of the world’s most active terrorists, during a joint counterterrorism operation carried out by Nigerian and United States forces.
In a statement issued on Saturday by Major General Samaila Uba, the military said al-Minuki was linked to the infamous mass kidnapping of over 100 schoolgirls in Dapchi, Yobe State, including Leah Sharibu who is yet to be rescued.
The United States President, Donald Trump, announced that the US and Nigerian forces jointly carried out a military operation that killed the top ISIS commander identified as Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, whom he described as the terrorist group’s second-in-command globally.