Kaduna-based Islamic scholar Ahmad Gumi has alleged that he was told he had been placed on a list for elimination as a Boko Haram figure on the same day a US military airstrike was carried out in Nigeria.
Gumi made the allegation while speaking to his followers in a video that has since gone viral. The clip was shared on Sunday by X user #General_Somto.
According to the cleric, he received an early morning phone call from an unidentified individual in Abuja who briefed him on discussions held at a national security meeting.
He claimed the caller informed him that his name had been included among individuals allegedly slated for assassination.
“I received a call from a top official in Abuja informing me that I am among those marked by the us for elimination through an American airstrike, as part of Boko Haram. Northern leaders and clerics must speak up against these lies.” Gumi said.
On December 25, the United States carried out airstrikes targeting members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in Sokoto State.
The operation followed comments by former US President Donald Trump, who had warned that the US would step in Nigeria “guns-a-blazing to wipe out the terrorists killing Christians.”
Gumi criticised foreign military intervention in Nigeria, insisting that such involvement aggravates insecurity rather than addressing it.
“They claim to have come here to fight terrorists, but they are the actual terrorists,” he said.
He also questioned prevailing narratives around terrorism, arguing that major global powers bear some responsibility for the rise of insurgent groups.
“Even Americans said they came to fight terrorists, so who are the terrorists? They are the ones,” he said, accusing the United States of contributing to the emergence of Boko Haram.
The cleric further alleged that Nigeria’s security challenges and deepening divisions were being driven by foreign influence, policies and narratives, which he linked to the administration of former US President Donald Trump.
Gumi also criticised political and religious leaders in northern Nigeria over what he described as their muted response to repeated attacks by Boko Haram and ISWAP.
“The north, you all know they attacked, but where are your leaders and what have they done about it?” Gumi asked.
He went on to fault religious scholars, accusing them of failing to challenge false narratives pushed by terrorists and of directing support solely to Christians.
“They attacked us for false claims, and they give support of a certain amount of money to Christians alone. No country will accept that. Either you give support to the entire nation, or we don’t need it,” he said.
“It happens, and nobody is talking; they are all afraid to talk. That’s the situation we are in this country,” he added.