Bashir Ahmad calls out Islamic scholars for not speaking against bandits

Bashir Ahmad, a former special assistant on Digital Communications to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, has berated Islamic scholars for not being vocal on the issue of banditry in northern Nigeria.

Ahmad took to the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, to state that he is “puzzled as to why our Islamic scholars aren’t vocal in denouncing any association between Islam and banditry.”

He went on to explain that the bandits have no connection to the Islamic faith.

“Their actions contradict the teachings of our religion. Statistically, they have harmed more Muslims and Hausas than any other religious or ethnic group, with attacks constantly in Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Katsina, Niger, etc.,” Ahmad wrote on X.

“However, the lack of strong condemnation from our scholars often leads to the misconception that those barbaric acts of banditry are linked to Islam.

“The actions of those bandits are purely acts of terrorism, and they should be recognized as terrorists by everyone. They do not represent us or our religion,” he added.

However, Nigerians hit back, reminding him that he was silent about banditry when his principal, Muhammadu Buhari was in office, only to now find his voice. Others accused him of supporting violence in the north when a student, Deborah Samuel, was killed for alleged blasphemy.