Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Ahmad Gumi, has accused American intelligence of sponsoring banditry and Boko Haram terrorism in Nigeria.

Mr Gumi, a self-appointed advocate of terrorists, made this allegation in a post on Facebook on Saturday while reacting to Mike Arnold’s post.

Mr Arnold, a former Mayor of Blanco in Texas who has been vocal about alleged Christian genocide in Nigeria, posted photos of himself and some Nigerians, including former Cross River State Governor Donald Duke and Nigerian Minister of Information Mohammed Idris, on Facebook on Friday.

“These are a few of the people I’ve met and places I’ve been to in Nigeria over the years,” Mr Arnold wrote alongside the photos.

Reacting to Mr Arnold’s post, however, Mr Gumi berated him for pushing what he described as a fake Christian genocide narrative, alleging that “American intelligence is sponsoring terrorism in Nigeria.”

“After all the barking about ‘fake Christian genocide’, it’s shameful to realise that this man has been almost everywhere where Christians are prosperous and yet not one visit to Zamfara, Katsina, and other northern states that are enduring the evil of bandits and BH sponsored by this same American intelligence. It’s shameful. One of the things that Islam abhors is lies and liars,” Mr Gumi said.

Aisha Gambari, spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria, could not be reached for comments on Sunday morning. Calls to her numbers were not picked, and a WhatsApp message sent to her had not been replied to as of the time of filing this report.

Mr Gumi has repeatedly pushed back against U.S. government involvement in combating insecurity in Nigeria.

Last December, when American President Donald Trump ordered airstrikes against terrorists in their enclave in Sokoto State, Mr Gumi condemned the airstrikes, calling it an attack on Islam.

Mr Gumi’s allegation comes amid ongoing collaboration between the Nigerian government and the United States to combat insecurity in Africa’s most populous country.

On Friday, Bayo Onanuga, spokesperson for President Bola Tinubu, in a statement announced that Nuhu Ribadu, National Security Adviser, met with American Vice President JD Vance and other U.S. officials over collaboration to tackle insecurity.