This is not the best of times for Nigeria’s Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Ali Isa Pantami as he is under serious fire over a leaked tape where he was said to be endorsing terrorism.
Pantami who was appointed in 2019, was heard in the leaked tape expressing admiration and praise for Al-Qaeda founder, Osama Bin Ladin and other terrorists.
Using the hashtag #PantamiResign, Nigerians, who have also accused him of intolerance for non-Muslims, are demanding for his resignation.
Similarly, Concerned Nigerians, a group led by Comrade Deji Adeyanju, has also petitioned the United States of America, demanding that the Minister be investigated over the leaked tape.
The letter reads in part “We write to intimate you of remarks attributed to Sheik Isa Pantami, Nigeria’s Communications Minister in several media blogs in the country wherein he was quoted as saying he was always happy whenever unbelievers are killed by terrorist groups.
“It is also further alleged that he had in the past openly supported and endorsed global terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda and the Talibans. Pantami is said to have praised Osama Bin Laden describing him as a hero and a better Muslim than himself.
“We implore you to investigate these allegations and if true place him on your terrorist watchlist permanently. Those who express extremist views remain a threat to world peace as they support mass murder of both Christians and Muslims globally. This remains unacceptable.
Pantami’s statement of admiration for the Taliban’s, Al-Qaeda and Jihad were from some of his preaching and lecture recordings translated by a professor and African expert at Naples University in Italy Andrea Brigaglia, and a Nigerian scholar Musa Ibrahim of the University of Florida in the United States, both of whom contributed to the academic paper published in March 2019 that explored the emergence of Boko Haram in Nigeria.
Some of the controversial comments made by the Minister were: “We are all happy whenever unbelievers are being killed,” Pantami said. “But the Sharia does not allow us to kill them without a reason. Our zeal (hamasa) should not take precedence over our obedience to the sacred law.”
In his praise of Osama Bin Laden, the late founder of Al-Qaeda and Saudi Arabia-born global terrorist, while responding to audience questions about his views on Osama’s ‘killing of innocent unbelievers’ during a lecture about the Taliban, Pantami said although he conceded that Bin Laden was liable to mistakes because he was human, “I still consider him as a better Muslim than myself.”
Also in a lecture delivered by Pantami in 2006, the minister offered his public condolences for the death of the leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, al-Zarqawi.
Pantami had also featured in a 2009 U.S. diplomatic cable leaked by WikiLeaks in 2011 about a religious crisis in Bauchi.
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