Rivers governor Nyesom Wike on Tuesday demanded the resignation of the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, over alleged ties with extremist elements.

Mr Wike’s demand comes amidst multiple exposures of Mr Pantami’s past declaration of the support for the activities of terrorist groups Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

Mr Pantami had in several sermons delivered in the 2000s expounded extremist beliefs such as his happiness when “unbelievers” are being killed.

Mr Wike during an interview on African Independent Television in Port Harcourt said, the reports that the United States of America has placed a serving minister on the terrorism watch list should push the government to swing into action. 

The federal government has remained mute amidst the raging controversy about the minister’s sympathy for global terrorist groups. 

Mr Wike wondered why the Buhari-led administration would continue to allow Mr Pantami to remain in office.

He said the All Progressives Congress-led federal government is known for its proclivity to shield persons of questionable characters, even “when the country’s secret service presents overwhelming evidence against such individuals.”

“But you were here when DSS wrote a report against (Ibrahim) Magu. What happened? Look, I have never seen a country that your secret service wrote a report about the nominee of Mr President, questioning his character and the rest, and that he is not appointable.

What happened? So, what are you talking about? What removed Magu is a power play,” Mr Wike’s spokesman Kelvin Ebiri said in a statement attributed to the governor.

Peoples Gazette had released several videos of Pantami criticising the Nigerian military for killing Boko Haram members, saying Niger Delta militants were being rehabilitated and pampered while his “brothers” were murdered mercilessly. 

Mr Pantami had since attempted to detach himself from those extremist views, saying the videos were old and preachments were done when he was young and immature. Nevertheless, The Gazette’s findings reveal that Mr Pantami’s comments were made in his 30s.

The Gazette also reported that despite his posturing as a repentant hardliner, Mr Pantami endorsed a fatwa calling for the death of political activist Deji Adeyanju.

Mr Adeyanju had petitioned the United States requesting that Mr Pantami be placed on its terrorism watchlist. He cited the minister’s support for terrorists and extremist views as too grievous to overlook.

Dozens of Patami’s followers attacked Adeyanju on social media, declaring the activist an “enemy of Islam” and “enemy of Nigeria’s peace” for writing a letter of complaint to the U.S. Embassy in Abuja.

Mr Pantami quickly added his own curses using his verified social media handle and a flurry of comments from his supporters followed. The minister said in Hausa: “Allah ya tsine masa alubarika.” This was roughly translated as: “May Allah reject his blessings.”

A political analyst Idris Abdulbasit said Mr Pantami’s action was an endorsement of a call to kill Mr Adeyanju.