Of Terrorists and Their True Sympathisers

Nothing explains the slow death of humanity in our society better than the sight of people openly defending those whose business is the destruction of lives and property, as if the lives of their victims do not matter. Even more disturbing is the fact that some of those speaking for these killers are religious leaders who ought to be the conscience of society. It is often said that terrorism does not survive by guns alone. It survives because some people defend it, excuse it, or keep quiet about it. While the terrorist carries a weapon, the sympathiser carries a narrative. One sheds blood; the other explains it away. Both are dangerous.

We often focus only on the men in the forests, the bombers, the kidnappers, and the killers. They are easy to see and easy to condemn. But behind them is a silent army of supporters and enablers. Some fund them. Some supply information. Some hide them. Others simply justify their actions with clever words. Without these people, terrorism would struggle to exist.

Sympathisers are not always loud. Many of them present themselves as reasonable voices. They say things like, “We must understand their anger,” or “They were pushed to the wall,” or “It is because of injustice.” Yes, injustice exists. Poverty exists. Bad governance exists. But none of these gives anyone the right to kill innocent people, kidnap children, or burn villages. When explanations begin to sound like excuses, something has gone terribly wrong.

In Nigeria, terrorism is often treated with double standards. When terrorists kill people from another ethnic group or religion, condemnation is loud and instant. But when the killers come from “our side,” silence follows. Some even rush to defend them. Crimes are explained away as misunderstandings or clashes. This selective outrage encourages terrorism. It tells the killers that as long as they carry the right identity, they will be protected.

Even more troubling is how some educated people speak about terrorism. From television studios, offices, and newspaper columns, violence is dressed in fine language. Terrorists are called “fighters” or “agitators.” Mass murder is described as “resistance.” Meanwhile, the victims are forgotten. Farmers, traders, students, and worshippers, real human beings, are reduced to statistics. This is not intelligence or balance; it is cruelty wrapped in polished words.

There are also official sympathisers. These are people in government and institutions who deliberately look the other way. They delay investigations. They weaken cases. They quietly release suspects. They leak information. Sometimes they act out of fear; other times out of corruption. Terrorism grows where justice is slow, weak, or selective.

Let it be clear: condemning terrorism does not mean supporting bad leadership or ignoring genuine grievances. A society can fight injustice without defending killers. The moment violence against innocent people is described as “understandable,” the moral line has been crossed. Today’s excuse becomes tomorrow’s tragedy. On the other hand, it is important to not treat every critic of the war against terrorism as a terrorist sympathiser. I agree that not everyone who speaks out in this regard should hastily be described as an apologist of terrorism, because when we begin to blur clear lines too often, we risk creating an atmosphere where people with genuine disaffection and criticism would be too afraid to speak up.

Former presidential media aide, Bashir Ahmad, reiterated this recently in a post on X (Twitter), saying, “Simply out of fear of being labeled terrorist sympathisers on social media by people like you, many people are forced into silence, preferring not to engage in the honest and necessary conversations surrounding this U.S. military intervention, the conversations that should be taking place in the interest of justice, accountability, and national dignity.” As per the stipulates of our Constitution, every citizen has the right to express their opinions about the military and social policies of this country. What is crucial is that such opinions should not be framed in a way that would come across as disrespectful to victims.

When Shehu Sani, the former Kaduna Central senator, recently lambasted those opposing the bombardment of terrorist enclaves in Northern Nigeria by the US military, his statement resonated with people who have for long viewed the Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, as a terrorist sympathizer. Sheikh Gumi has often been in the news for advocating that negotiations with bandits are necessary, once saying, “We negotiate for peace and our strategic interests. If negotiation will bring stoppage to bloodshed, we will do it.”

And yet, even as someone like Shehu Sani was in support of the United States’ coordinated airstrikes on terrorist locations, he still expressed his thoughts that rather than relying too much on foreign powers to battle insurgency and banditry, the Federal Government should endeavour to take more responsibility for the security and protection of Nigerians.

Ultimately, the fight against terrorism is not only about soldiers and weapons. It is also about values and courage. Terrorists must be called terrorists, plain and simple. Those who defend or excuse them must be challenged. No ethnic group, religion, or region should ever be used as a shield for murder. Silence, too, is a form of support. When community leaders refuse to speak because the terrorists are “their people,” they fail their society. When religious leaders avoid the truth to protect followers, they betray their calling. When public figures choose comfort over courage, they help evil to grow. There is no neutral ground when innocent lives are being taken.

Terrorism will not end when the last gun is seized. It will end when society withdraws all sympathy from violence. When communities reject killers, when excuses are no longer tolerated, and when justice is firm and fair, terrorism will lose its strength. We should be more critical of terrorist sympathisers, because apart from pushing narratives that can encourage or normalise violence and human rights abuse, a terrorist apologistʼs words can insidiously work to undermine national security and efforts to combat terrorism.

Evil rarely stands alone. It often hides behind silence, excuses, and clever talk. Away from social media and other channels of communication, the insecurity we face as a country is often worsened because bandits and terrorists manage to secure the support of the people around us. These people can either recruit members, raise funds or provide sanctuary for Nigeria’s enemies. And until we confront not just the terrorists in the bushes, but also their sympathisers in our homes, offices, and public spaces, peace will remain far away.

Isah can be reached via [email protected]

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