Kaduna-based Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has accused some prominent southern Nigerians of suffering an “inferiority complex” and a “slave mentality” after they expressed support for U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat of military action against Nigeria.
In a Facebook post titled “The paradox of some Christian ‘intellectuals’,” Gumi said he was “bitterly disappointed” that those figures appeared to welcome foreign interference in Nigeria’s sovereignty. “However inviting a liar, a genocidal supporter, a racist, a supremacist, a colonist to interfere on the side of Christians specifically is unpatriotic, shameful and obnoxious,” he wrote.
Gumi argued that Nigeria’s communal violence — including herders‑farmers clashes and disputes between indigenous communities and settlers — is driven by “poverty, poor education, moral debauchery and poor governance,” not religion. He warned that outside intervention would only escalate conflicts, asking rhetorically, “Can’t they see that the fight will take another dimension?”
The cleric also blamed Islamophobia for the stance of the critics he denounced, questioning whether theological biases were making them “naive and hateful.” He tempered his criticism by noting that “most Christians are good Samaritans living peacefully with their Muslim countrymen.”
Gumi’s comments add to a heated public debate over national sovereignty and the role of foreign powers amid Nigeria’s ongoing security and communal challenges.
