Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has warned that the United States’ involvement in combating terrorism in Nigeria could draw foreign terror groups into the country.

Gumi made the assertion in a Facebook post on Monday.

He argued that the war on terror could end up eroding Nigeria’s sovereignty, which he described as a “red line”.

Gumi reiterated his earlier stance that the kinetic approach alone would not end insecurity.

He emphasised that US involvement would expose Nigeria to an “unnecessary increase in violence” by “attracting international terror groups to the new era”, noting that the Nigerian Armed Forces could handle the situation with proper rules of engagement.

Gumi said, “As a peace advocate, I am stunned by some remarks from ignorance that the military was or is prevented from engaging bandits or Boko Haram. This claim is false and malicious. Never for one second has the military halted hostilities in the name of Amnesty against unrepentant terrorists except the Niger Delta militants who got a blanket Amnesty from Yar’Adua of blessed memory.

“Today, almost 17 years since 2009 when Muhammad Yusuf was summarily executed extra-judicially, Boko Haram has remained a thorn in the throat of Nigerians killing high-ranking officers.

“The gross failure of the kinetic approach is chiefly attributed to the morality of our fighting force. Until, innocent people are safe from our excesses in the application of the kinetic approach and our hands are not stained with the blood of innocent people, the war is going to erode our sovereignty which it has already.

“The military can handle the situation if the rules of engagement are free from prejudices and deception, both in the application of force and finances.

“The involvement of the USA will only attract the international terror groups to the ‘new arena’ exposing Nigeria to an unnecessary increase in violence, in which these same foreign forces are complicit.”

The Islamic cleric lambasted those insisting on getting the US involved in Nigeria’s war on terror, describing them as “gullible” and having “slave mentality”.

He said, “Nigerians especially a section of them are not just gullible but have a slave mentality ever ready to hand over the sovereignty of our dear nation to foreign interests.

“We have to resist foreign subjugation and disgrace.” (The Sun)