Claim: A Facebook page claimed that US fighter jets bombed terrorists in Kaduna State, killing Sheikh Gumi Verdict: U.S. conducted airstrikes on terrorist hideouts in Kaduna State, killing Sheikh Gumi, is False. Full Text A Facebook page, Igbo Times Magazine, on Tuesday, 16th December, 2025, posted on its website, claiming that United States of America
Claim: A Facebook page claimed that US fighter jets bombed terrorists in Kaduna State, killing Sheikh Gumi
Verdict: U.S. conducted airstrikes on terrorist hideouts in Kaduna State, killing Sheikh Gumi, is False.
Full Text
A Facebook page, Igbo Times Magazine, on Tuesday, 16th December, 2025, posted on its website, claiming that United States of America fighter jets are carrying out a bombing attack on terrorists in Kaduna State, the northern part of Nigeria.
According to the post, which has the pictures attached to it, the US fighter jets bombed a terrorist hideout in Kaduna and claimed that the popular Islamic cleric from the North, Sheikh Gumi, was killed during the air strike.
The post reads “BREAKING NEWS: War in the North as the U.S. Fighter Jets Bomb Terrorist Hideouts in Kaduna, Reports Claim Gumi Was Killed in the Deadly Airstrikes.” Unconfirmed reports emerging from Kaduna State claim that U.S. fighter jets are currently carrying out airstrikes on suspected terrorist hideouts in the state. Sources on the ground allege that the operation is ongoing and targeting areas believed to be harbouring armed groups threatening regional security.
Reports further claim that Gumi was killed during one of the airstrikes, though official confirmation is still awaited from U.S. or Nigerian authorities.”
The post, which also mentioned that a source from the military also confirmed the incident, quoted, “A security source was quoted as saying, ‘Heavy air activity is ongoing.’” Multiple targets were hit, and casualties have been recorded, but details are still being verified.”
It will be recalled that in November, the president of the United States of America, Donald Trump, through his social media, threatened to launch an attack in Nigeria due to the alleged anti-Christian violence; he stated that he would cut off assistance to African countries if the Nigerian government continues to allow the killing of Christians.
He further mentioned that the US “may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing’, to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.
The post, as of the time of writing this report, has garnered 44 likes, 32 comments, and 5 reshares and is coming at a time when the Nigerian government has rejected the claim and reaffirmed its commitment to the protection of all citizens regardless of religion, describing the remarks as “unfortunate, unfounded, and unacceptable interference in Nigeria’s internal affairs”.
Hence, due to the high degree of the claim, NDRFactCheck seeks to check the veracity.
Verification
A Google image search was conducted on the pictures attached to the post; we found out that the second picture in the frame was an attack Israel carried out in Gaza after balloon firebombs were launched in response to the Jerusalem march.
Also, the third picture in the frame was a picture taken on November 12, 2018, showing smoke rising above the building housing the Hamas-run television station al-Aqsa TV in the Gaza Strip during an Israeli air strike.
Our researcher checked through all reputable media newspapers in Nigeria for any possible attack by the United States of America; we couldn’t find any and reported on the death of Sheikh Gumi.
NDRFactCheck noticed that Facebook indicated the page has been reported for repeatedly posting false information.
Know more about how Facebook is helping fact checkers address misinformation here.
Screenshot from the Facebook image
Conclusion
From the information gathered, it has been proven that the claim that the U.S. conducted airstrikes on terrorist hideouts in Kaduna State, killing Gumi, is false.
