Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has alleged that the United States deliberately relied on a Nigerian source to advance its own interests in promoting claims of a Christian genocide in Nigeria.
Gumi was reacting to comments by a former Senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, who cited a report by The New York Times questioning the credibility of figures used to support the genocide narrative.
Sani had lamented that the claims were traced to an Onitsha based trader, identified as Emeka, who reportedly ran a small non governmental organisation and relied largely on internet searches to arrive at figures alleging over 125,000 Christian deaths in Nigeria.
Describing the development as unfortunate, Sani said it was shocking that such an unverified claim gained traction among United States lawmakers, intelligence officials and even the President, eventually influencing military action.
He described the episode as embarrassing and warned against the dangers of basing international policy decisions on poorly verified information.
Reacting to the post, Gumi dismissed suggestions that the United States was misled, insisting that American intelligence agencies were fully aware of the facts.
In a post shared on Facebook, the cleric stated that the US merely used a Nigerian narrative to justify actions already aligned with its strategic interests.
“US intelligence is not stupid. They know everything, but wanted a Nigerian cover for their interest,” Gumi wrote.
The controversy followed reports that allegations of Christian genocide in Nigeria contributed to President Donald Trump ordering military airstrikes in parts of Sokoto State, a move that has continued to generate debate across political and religious lines.
