Prominent Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take a firm stand against U.S. President Donald Trump following the latter’s recent threat of possible military action against Nigeria.
In a post shared on his verified Facebook page on Sunday, Gumi described Trump’s remarks as a direct insult to Nigeria’s sovereignty and urged the federal government to respond decisively through diplomatic channels.
“For Trump to threaten a sovereign country with military attack is a profound disrespect to our authority, but we can rise above it,” the cleric wrote.
He further advised President Tinubu to summon the U.S. ambassador to Nigeria and demand an official retraction of Trump’s statement, stressing that failure to do so should lead to a review or outright severance of diplomatic ties with Washington.
“President Tinubu should summon the U.S. ambassador; they either retract their threats or we sever diplomatic ties with this irresponsible regime,” Gumi stated.
The Kaduna-based scholar also urged the Nigerian government to begin looking beyond the United States in its international relations, suggesting that the country should strengthen alliances with other global powers to diversify its economic and military partnerships.
“There are lots of other options for our economic expansion and military alliance,” he added.
Gumi’s comments come amid growing global reactions to Trump’s controversial statement, in which the U.S. president warned that America could reconsider its aid and even take military action if the alleged killings of Christians in Nigeria continue.
While the Nigerian government has dismissed the claims of religiously targeted killings, describing the violence as a security issue.
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