In an unusually forceful move, prominent Islamist cleric Ahmad Gumi has called on the Bola Tinubu-led Nigerian government to consider severing diplomatic ties with the Donald Trump administration if the former US president does not retract a threat of military action against Nigeria.
In a statement posted to his verified Facebook page on Sunday, Gumi condemned President Trump’s comments, in which Trump designated Nigeria a “country of particular concern” over alleged “Christian genocide” and warned that the United States would “immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria” and may act “guns-a-blazing” to “completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists killing Christians”, as “a profound disrespect” for Nigeria’s sovereignty.
Gumi urged President Tinubu to summon the US ambassador to Abuja and demand a formal retraction of the threat. He warned: “They either retract their threats or we sever diplomatic ties with this irresponsible regime.” He added that Nigeria has “lots of other options for our economic expansion and military alliance.” 
The immediate spark came when President Trump on Friday labelled Nigeria a “country of particular concern” (CPC) in relation to religious-freedom issues, a designation that triggers heightened scrutiny and potential sanctions under US law.  Hours later, the US leader declared that Nigeria could lose all US aid and faced possible “guns-a-blazing” intervention if it failed to address what his administration described as the mass killing of Christians. 
Shortly thereafter, one of the senior US defense officials, Pete Hegseth (referred to as US War Secretary in some Nigerian media), confirmed that the US Department of Defense was preparing options for possible military action if the Nigerian government did not end the “killing of innocent Christians.”
Meanwhile, in Washington, a cohort of US right-wing lawmakers led by Ted Cruz introduced a proposed legislative bill called the “Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025,” seeking to impose targeted sanctions on Nigerian officials implicated in “facilitating the mass murder of Christians” and enforcing Sharia or blasphemy laws.
Nigeria is caught in a difficult moment. The country has long faced international concern over religious violence, kidnappings, insurgency in the north-east by groups like Boko Haram and alleged attacks by Fulani militant factions. The US campaign has now shifted from conditional cooperation to publicly raised threats of military measures.
Ahmad Gumi, who is widely known in Nigeria as an Islamic scholar and negotiator with bandit groups in the north-west, stepped into this diplomatic dispute with a strongly nationalist tone. His suggestion “of other options” signals a push for Nigeria to look beyond the US to alternative partners — such as China, Russia, Turkey or regional alliances — a sentiment that resonates with Nigeria’s rising appetite for diversified external relations.
Historically, Nigeria has been careful to balance its security dependencies on Western partners with assertions of independence and regional leadership. The Tinubu administration may now face pressure to state explicitly its position: whether to engage diplomatically with the US, seek retraction of the threat, or signal its readiness to recalibrate alliances. Nigeria continues to rely on US and Western support in multiple ways (counter-terror efforts, training, foreign direct investment, and diplomatic relations). A hasty severance of ties could incur costs far beyond symbolic posture.
As rising powers compete for influence in Africa, former colonial-bloc powers or traditional allies such as the US now find their leverage challenged. Nigeria’s role as Africa’s most populous country, a major oil and gas producer, and a regional economic anchor makes its stance consequential.
For Abuja, the choices ahead will test how Nigeria navigates the twin imperatives of preserving security cooperation with the West and asserting its autonomy in a changing global order. The international community will watch how Nigeria responds, and whether it opts for confrontation, negotiation, or recalibration of its external partnerships.
Samuel Aina