Ahmad Gumi has stirred controversy after alleging that American intelligence agencies are behind the activities of Boko Haram and armed bandit groups responsible for attacks in parts of Nigeria.
The cleric made the claim in a Facebook post on Saturday while reacting to comments made by Mike Arnold concerning alleged persecution of Christians in Nigeria.
Arnold had earlier shared photographs from his visits across Nigeria, including meetings with notable figures such as Donald Duke and Mohammed Idris.
While posting the images online, Arnold stated that the photographs reflected some of the places he had visited and individuals he had interacted with during his time in Nigeria.
Responding to the post, Gumi accused Arnold of pushing what he described as a misleading narrative about attacks on Christians in Nigeria while allegedly ignoring the insecurity affecting several northern states.
According to the cleric, Arnold visited locations where Christians live peacefully and prosper but failed to tour states such as Zamfara and Katsina, where communities have repeatedly suffered attacks linked to banditry and Boko Haram insurgency.
Gumi further alleged that the same American intelligence agencies promoting claims of Christian persecution were also allegedly connected to the insecurity plaguing parts of northern Nigeria.
“After all the barking about fake Christian genocide, it is shameful to realise that this man has been almost everywhere where Christians are prosperous, yet he has not visited Zamfara, Katsina and other northern states suffering from the activities of bandits and Boko Haram allegedly sponsored by the same American intelligence,” he wrote.
The Islamic cleric also condemned what he described as misinformation surrounding the country’s security challenges, insisting that Islam rejects falsehood and dishonesty.
His comments have since generated mixed reactions online, with some social media users supporting his criticism of foreign narratives about Nigeria, while others faulted him for making serious allegations without publicly providing evidence.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the United States government nor any American intelligence agency had responded to the claims.
