US Airstrikes: Catholic cleric calls for arrest of Sheikh Gumi

A Catholic author and cleric, Deacon Nick Donnelly, has called on Nigerian authorities to arrest and prosecute Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, over comments credited to him following the United States’ Christmas Day airstrikes on insurgent enclaves in parts of Sokoto State.

The airstrikes, reportedly carried out by the United States against terrorist elements operating in the North-West, have continued to generate reactions across religious and political divides.

Sheikh Gumi, in a statement issued on Friday, urged the Federal Government to immediately halt any form of military collaboration with the United States, alleging that such actions amounted to the killing of “warriors” and constituted genocide against Christians.

Reacting to the remarks, Deacon Donnelly, in a post on social media platform X, accused the cleric of defending terrorist groups responsible for attacks on Christian communities.

He described the insurgents as “bestial Islamist terrorists” and alleged that Gumi’s comments amounted to justification of violence against Christians.

According to Donnelly, Sheikh Gumi should be arrested and tried for crimes against humanity, insisting that the Federal Government must take a clear position on the matter.

He further called on President Bola Tinubu to publicly denounce the cleric’s comments, warning that silence could be interpreted as complicity.

The controversy adds to the growing national debate over foreign military involvement in Nigeria’s fight against terrorism and the role of religious leaders in the country’s security discourse.