Bashir Ahmad, former President Muhammadu Buhari’s aide, has come under criticism after he praised Yahya Sinwar, the leader of militant and terrorist group Hamas, after his death on Thursday.

“He was born, lived and died as a leader!,” Ahmad captioned Sinwar’s picture on his X account.

He was born, lived and died as a leader! ✌🏽 pic.twitter.com/LRai2j0TeW— Bashir Ahmad (@BashirAhmaad) October 17, 2024

Sinwar, while he was alive, was famed not only as a leader of a terrorist group but also as the brain behind the mass murder of 1,200 Israelis and the taking hostage of an extra 240 in October 2023.

“The master murderer Yahya Sinwar, who is responsible for the massacre and atrocities of October 7, was killed today by IDF soldiers,” Israel’s Foreign Minister, Israel Katz said on Thursday.

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According to a report by the BBC, Sinwar was on the run for more than a year as Israel targeted and killed other Hamas leaders and his cohorts such as Mohammad Dief and Ismail Haniyeh.

Sinwar was also one of the founding members of Hamas in the 1980s.

Reactions following Ahmad’s post on X included labels such as ‘terrorist apologist’.

“See the kind of people we had in government. Terrorist sympathisers,” @threefaceIdibia commented.

“Someone who masterminded the killing of innocent 1,200 is a hero to you?” @HiikyaaTor asked Ahmad.

PANTAMI HAD SIMILAR CONTROVERSY YEARS AGO

Isa Pantami, former minister of communications and digital economy under Buhari, also came under fire after he expressed views that presented him as a sympathiser to terror groups Al Qaeda and Boko Haram.

There were reports about a sermon from the 2000s where Pantami said he considered Osama Bin Laden a better Muslim than himself.

In another sermon, Pantami said he was happy whenever ‘infidels’ were massacred.

The report also stated that during a period of deadly religious tensions in Plateau State, Pantami had volunteered to lead Muslims back to their homes even if the process would have taken his life.

Pantami offered condolences to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was a leader of al-Qaeda before his death.

Amidst all of the calls back then for Pantami’s resignation, Buhari retained him in his cabinet.
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