Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, has issued a strong warning to Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmed Gumi and others he described as sympathisers of terrorists and bandits, cautioning them against offering any form of overt or covert support to criminal groups threatening national security.
Speaking during an official visit to Maiduguri, Borno State, on Wednesday, January 14, Musa stressed that terrorism and banditry must never be framed as expressions of regional, ethnic, or religious solidarity.
“A friend of a thief is a thief,” the Defence Minister declared, emphasising that his remarks were deliberate and targeted at narratives that attempt to humanise or justify violent criminal activity.
Musa referenced previous statements attributed to Sheikh Gumi, who had described bandits operating in forest enclaves as “our brothers” and suggested that society could not function without them.
According to the minister, such rhetoric dangerously blurs the line between compassion and complicity.
“Empathy must never translate into legitimising violence,” Musa said, warning that narratives portraying terrorists as misunderstood victims embolden criminal networks that have devastated communities, displaced millions, and claimed countless innocent lives across Nigeria.
He noted that terrorism thrives not only through access to weapons but also through moral and rhetorical cover provided by influential voices. The minister argued that individuals who defend, excuse, or remain silent about the crimes of terrorists and bandits—whether through words, influence, or omission—share responsibility for the consequences of their actions.
Musa further stated that Nigeria cannot successfully defeat terrorism and banditry while narratives continue to blur the distinction between victims and perpetrators.
“There is no neutrality in matters of national security,” he said. “The choice is clear: stand with the law and the nation, or be counted among those enabling criminality.”
His remarks come amid intensified military operations against insurgent and bandit groups across several regions of the country, particularly in the North-East and North-West.
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