Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, has issued a strong caution to Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmed Gumi and other individuals he described as sympathisers of terrorists and bandits, warning them to desist from offering any form of open or indirect support to criminal groups threatening national security.
Speaking during an official visit to Maiduguri on Wednesday, January 14, Musa stressed that terrorism and banditry must not be portrayed as acts rooted in regional, ethnic, or religious solidarity.
“A friend of a thief is a thief,” the minister declared.
He explained that the statement was a direct response to narratives previously promoted by Gumi, who had referred to bandits hiding in forests as “our brothers” and suggested that society could not function without them.
Musa drew a clear distinction between compassion and complicity, warning that empathy should never translate into justifying or legitimising violence. He noted that such narratives only embolden criminal groups responsible for widespread destruction, mass displacement, and the loss of countless innocent lives across Nigeria.
The defence minister further warned that terrorism does not rely solely on weapons but also on moral and rhetorical support, adding that those who defend, excuse, or shield criminals—whether through words, influence, or silence—bear responsibility for the resulting harm.
Musa concluded that Nigeria cannot successfully defeat terrorism and banditry while public discourse blurs the line between victims and perpetrators, insisting that neutrality is unacceptable when national security is at stake.
“The choice is clear: stand with the law and the nation, or be counted among those enabling criminality,” he said.