Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has warned against the involvement of the United States in Nigeria’s fight against terrorism, saying such a move could attract international terror groups into the country.
Gumi, in a Facebook post on Monday, said Nigeria’s sovereignty “is a red line” and argued that the country’s military is capable of handling insecurity if operations are carried out without “prejudices and deception”.
The cleric dismissed claims that the military had been prevented from confronting bandits and Boko Haram insurgents due to amnesty initiatives, describing such allegations as “false and malicious.”
According to him, Boko Haram has remained active nearly 17 years after the extra-judicial killing of its founder, Mohammed Yusuf, in 2009.
Gumi stated that the failure of the kinetic approach in tackling insecurity was linked to alleged excesses by security forces and the killing of innocent civilians.
He further argued that involving the United States in Nigeria’s security operations would expose the country to increased violence.
“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.
“The involvement of the USA will only attract international terror groups to the ‘new arena,’ exposing Nigeria to an unnecessary increase in violence,” Gumi wrote.
