A friend of a thief is a thief’: General Musa warns Sheikh Gumi, others against continued sympathy for bandits, terrorists

The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (rtd), has issued a warning to controversial Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmed Gumi and others sympathetic to terrorists and bandits to stop their subversive endeavour, saying, “a friend of a thief is a thief.”

Musa cautioned against providing overt or covert support to criminal elements seeking to destabilise the country.

Speaking on Wednesday during an official visit to Maiduguri, the minister said those engaged in acts of terrorism and banditry did not represent any form of regional, ethnic, or religious brotherhood.

The warning came as the Nigerian Army announced it had taken a significant step towards strengthening its manpower development and national security framework with the construction of a new training depot at Amasiri-Edda, situated within the Afikpo and Edda local government areas of Ebonyi State.

Sheikh Gumi has come under fire in recent times, especially regarding his call for negotiation with bandits whom he described as just an angry set of people who can be placated to drop their weapons and embrace peace.

We previously reported that Gumi also condemned the recent airstrike conducted by the US military in Sokoto against the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP), saying American involvement could worsen Nigeria’s security challenges and undermine the country’s sovereignty.