Kaduna-based Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Abubakar Mahmoud Gumi
Minister of Defence, Lt.Gen. Christopher Musa (rtd), has warned Sheikh Ahmed Gumi and other persons in the country against including bandits in northern brotherhood.
General Musa on Wednesday in Maiduguri in a statement declared: “A friend of a thief is a thief,” stressing that Nigerians must desist from offering moral, social or ideological cover to criminal elements terrorising communities, particularly in Northern Nigeria.
The minister explained that his remarks were a direct response to previous statements attributed to Sheikh Gumi, who had referred to armed bandits hiding in forests as “our brothers” and argued that society could not exist without them.
According to Musa, while compassion and dialogue may have a place in conflict resolution, normalising terrorism and banditry under the guise of brotherhood only emboldens criminal networks responsible for killings, kidnappings, displacement and widespread insecurity.
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“Labeling bandits as brothers does not reduce violence; it legitimises criminality and weakens the nation’s collective fight against insecurity,” the defence chief warned.
He added that terrorism thrives not only on weapons but on narratives that excuse crime, noting that anyone who defends, rationalises or remains silent in the face of terrorism shares responsibility for its consequences.
General Musa stressed that Nigeria cannot defeat terrorism and banditry if dangerous rhetoric continues to blur the distinction between victims and perpetrators, insisting that neutrality is not an option in matters of national security.
“The choice before Nigerians is clear: stand with the law, the armed forces and the nation, or be counted among those who enable crime,” he said.
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