Reported by: Ime Richard Aondofa | Edited by: Henry Owen
A Facebook post shared by George Udom, titled “This one?? To remind us about Pantami,” has reignited a wave of public outrage and debate over Dr. Isa Ali Pantami, Nigeria’s former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, following resurfaced allegations about his past extremist rhetoric and sympathies for terrorist groups.
In his post, Udom revisited several controversial statements attributed to Pantami from the early 2000s through the 2010s, describing him as a man with an “outstanding terrorism CV.”
According to Udom’s summary, Pantami had openly praised al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden, once declaring that the notorious extremist was “a superior Muslim” compared to himself. He also allegedly expressed admiration for the Taliban regime in Afghanistan during that same period—when bin Laden was one of the world’s most wanted men.
Udom’s post further accused Pantami of endorsing hardline religious violence, quoting his past sermons in which he allegedly said that “anyone who insults the Prophet Muhammad deserves to die,” and supported capital punishment for Muslims who convert to Christianity or other faiths.
In one widely-circulated 2004 audio, Pantami was said to have justified the killing of a university student accused of blasphemy, describing it as a “religious duty.” That remark resurfaced years later, drawing international condemnation after his appointment as a federal minister.
The post also alleged that in 2010, Pantami urged northern Muslims to arm themselves in retaliation against Christians following violent clashes in Plateau State. He was quoted as saying, “If they kill one person, we kill 10… more lives must be lost.”
Udom further claimed that a leaked audio from 2014 captured Pantami condemning the Nigerian military under President Goodluck Jonathan for what he described as the “extra-judicial killing of Boko Haram insurgents,” asserting they should be treated “as fellow Muslims deserving due process.”
Pantami’s alleged social media history also came under fire. Before deleting his Twitter account in 2019, he reportedly made posts praising Boko Haram’s 2014 UN House bombing in Abuja and referring to suicide bombers as “true Muslims.”
Despite these controversies, Udom’s post concluded with criticism of the Nigerian government under former President Muhammadu Buhari for appointing Pantami to a ministerial position despite his troubling extremist background, stating, “Nigeria has a way of rewarding criminals.”
Pantami has previously denied links to terrorism, claiming that his past statements were taken out of context and that he had since renounced extremist ideologies. However, Udom’s post has rekindled old concerns and divided public opinion online, with many Nigerians demanding accountability while others call for restraint and fairness.
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