Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has alleged that he was among individuals reportedly marked for elimination by the United States as a Boko Haram figure on the same day American forces carried out an airstrike in Nigeria.
Gumi made the claim while addressing his congregation in a video that has since gone viral on social media. The footage was shared on X on Sunday by user @General_Somto.
According to the cleric, he received an early-morning phone call from an unnamed source in Abuja who allegedly briefed him on the outcome of a high-level national security meeting. He said the caller informed him that his name had been included on a list of individuals allegedly targeted 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,” Gumi said in the video. He called on northern leaders and clerics to speak out against what he described as false and dangerous allegations.
The claim follows U.S. airstrikes against Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters in Sokoto State on December 25, 2025. The operation came shortly after former U.S. President Donald Trump warned that the United States could intervene militarily in Nigeria to eliminate terrorists responsible for attacks on Christians.
Sheikh Gumi used the opportunity to criticise foreign military involvement in Nigeria, arguing that such interventions often worsen insecurity rather than resolve it. He claimed that airstrikes frequently result in civilian casualties and deepen tensions within affected communities.
“They say they are fighting terrorists, but they are the real terrorists,” the cleric said, insisting that foreign military actions aggravate Nigeria’s security challenges.
