Gumi to Tinubu: Confront Trump or cut diplomatic ties

Prominent Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take strong diplomatic action against the United States following President Donald Trump’s recent threat to launch a military attack on Nigeria.

In a statement shared on his verified Facebook page on Sunday, Gumi condemned Trump’s remarks as a direct insult to Nigeria’s sovereignty and a dangerous display of foreign arrogance.

“For Trump to threaten a sovereign country with military attack is a profound disrespect to our authority, but we can rise above it,” Gumi wrote.

He advised President Tinubu to summon the U.S. ambassador to Nigeria immediately, insisting that the U.S. must issue a public retraction or face diplomatic consequences.

“President Tinubu should summon the U.S. ambassador; they either retract their threats or we sever diplomatic ties with this irresponsible regime,” Gumi warned.

The cleric further noted that Nigeria has other options for both economic expansion and military alliance, stressing that the country must not appear subservient to any world power.

Gumi’s statement follows Trump’s controversial declaration that he had ordered the Pentagon to prepare for possible military action against Nigeria, accusing the Tinubu-led government of failing to protect Christians from persecution, a claim Nigeria has since dismissed as false.