Buhari’s Ex-minister Pantami Reacts to Social Media User’s Allegation of Killing University Student
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering public affairs and governance in Nigeria and Africa.
FCT, Abuja - Isa Pantami, former minister of communications and digital economy, has denied ever killing or directing anyone to kill anyone.
On Monday, November 24, 2025, an X (formerly Twitter) user, @escobo123456, claimed that Pantami, 'who is now forming holier than thou,' allegedly killed a student in Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi state.
Source: Facebook
Pantami worked at ATBU as a lecturer in information technology from 2004 to 2014. He held various positions at the university, including graduate assistant, assistant lecturer, and Lecturer I, before becoming a lecturer at the Islamic University of Madinah, Saudi Arabia, in 2014. In 2019, now-late former President Muhammadu Buhari appointed him a minister.
Legit.ng recalls that in April 2021, Pantami's name came up in a litany of controversies for two weeks non-stop.
A newspaper had reported that the Islamic cleric was on the United States (US) terror watch list because of his views on al-Qaeda, which is designated as a terrorist organisation by Western countries. Pantami spiritedly denied the report and demanded a retraction. In the absence of compelling evidence, the newspaper recoiled and apologised.
At the time, people dug up more historical evidence of Pantami’s extremist views, on video and audio, and posted them on the internet. Pantami has publicly recanted his old views, saying he is a changed man.
In an interview with The Punch, published on April 22, 2021, Samuel Achi, a former lecturer of Industrial Chemistry at the Kaduna State University, narrated how his son, Sunday Achi, was allegedly strangled at ATBU mosque.
Achi, a professor, also said he was aware that Pantami was the chief imam of the university’s mosque when the incident happened on December 9, 2004.
Samuel disclosed that his 24-year-old son and 400-level student of Architecture at the ATBU at the time was reportedly murdered by Muslim students over an allegation that he circulated a tract that contained blasphemous content.
The father said the late Sunday was the leader of the students’ fellowship of the Evangelical Church Winning All Ministry. According to him, the tracts shared by his late son did not contain any blasphemous content, but the Pantami-led Muslim community at the university allegedly pronounced a ‘fatwa’ on his son.
He said the Muslim students killed his son and threw his body off ATBU mosque, adding that he was able to retrieve Sunday's remains with the intervention of the then governors of Bauchi and Kaduna states.
Pantami and his allies had consistently stated that the allegations are "not true", and no court has ever linked the former minister directly to the killing.
Pantami denies involvement in student’s death
After the claim resurfaced again on Monday, November 26, 2025, Pantami challenged the accuser to "provide your full details so that I can take you to court for the false allegation."
He wrote on his verified X account on Tuesday night, November 25:
"Thank you for saying your mind. You are making an allegation that is 100% untrue. I have never killed or directed anyone to kill anyone in my life. Either directly or indirectly. If you have any evidence of that, kindly help the relatives of the deceased and take the matter to court. Alternatively, if you are strong enough, provide your full details so that I can take you to court for the false allegation.
"Grok and other AI that you depend on get input from the available information online. It could be wrong many times. If you are sure of your allegations, take the matter to court. Otherwise, let us have your verifiable details, do that we can meet in court. FYI, I have never presented any fatwa in that regards to kill anyone. If you have no need for online comments. Take it to court. Do not depend on an immature Hausa translator. Once again, let me have our verifiable details (not on verifiablename on X) to take you to court for the allegations."
Read more on Isa Pantami:
- Isa Pantami tells universities what to do about students using ChatGPT to write projects
- Tech-savvy former minister advises FG on using modern tech to tackle insecurity
Peter Obi visits Isa Pantami
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Pantami confirmed that Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, paid him a courtesy visit.
Pantami expressed gratitude for the visit and appreciation from his family.
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Source: Legit.ng
