Gumi Sparks Controversy, Claims U.S. Has Marked Him For Elimination

Kaduna-based Islamic cleric Ahmad Abubakar Gumi has sparked controversy after claiming that he was informed his name had been included on a list of individuals allegedly marked for elimination by the United States government amid recent military air strikes in Nigeria.

In a video address to his congregation that quickly went viral on social media over the weekend, Gumi said he received an early-morning phone call from an unnamed Abuja security source informing him that his name had surfaced during a national security briefing and that he was among those purportedly targeted for elimination in connection with the Boko Haram insurgency.

Gumi described the purported warning as coming on the same morning that the U.S. carried out airstrikes against members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in Sokoto State on December 25, 2025, in what the U.S. said was part of its counterterrorism effort.

In the viral video, the cleric repeated his allegation that the caller told him he was “marked” for elimination “through an American airstrike, as part of Boko Haram,” and urged northern leaders and religious figures to challenge what he described as false narratives.

Gumi sharply criticised foreign military involvement in Nigeria, asserting that such interventions have aggravated insecurity rather than eased it.

“They claim to have come here to fight terrorists, but they are the actual terrorists,” he said in the clip circulating widely.

He questioned the broader framing of Nigeria’s security challenges, arguing foreign influence and narratives have deepened social and religious divisions.

The cleric has long been a polarising figure in national security discourse, often positioning himself as a mediator in conflicts involving banditry and insurgency, while also warning against foreign military entanglement in Nigeria’s internal affairs.

At the time of reporting, neither the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria nor the Federal Government had issued an official response to Gumi’s claims.

Analysts say the allegation underlines tensions around foreign counterterrorism operations in Nigeria and raises questions about sovereignty, security cooperation and public perception of international intervention.

The U.S. military’s December 25 operation against ISWAP in Sokoto State was part of a broader effort targeting jihadist elements in northern Nigeria.

That offensive, reportedly in cooperation with Nigerian authorities, followed statements from former U.S. leaders threatening robust action against groups accused of killing civilians, particularly Christians, though the Nigerian government framed the strikes within a joint operational framework.