- Sultan of Sokoto has insisted that Muslims are not targeting Christians amid concerns of a religious agenda
- The Sultan, the president-general of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), emphasised peaceful coexistence and urged Nigerians to separate crime from religion
- The 69-year-old condemned violent acts misrepresented as religious, highlighting the importance of understanding
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering security matters and counter-insurgency in Nigeria and Africa.
FCT, Abuja – Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto, on Wednesday, May 6, pushed back against fears of a religious agenda in Nigeria.
As reported by Vanguard, the Sultan declared that Muslims were not planning to wipe out Christians.
Source: Facebook
According to him, much of the violence often described as religious is being misunderstood, deepening suspicion and mistrust.
The remarks came at the first triannual meeting of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) in Abuja, where the Sultan, who co-chairs the group, spoke alongside Daniel Okoh, the president of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), and George Akume, the secretary to the government of the federation (SGF).
The Sultan said:
“Today, as I stand here, I want to affirm that Muslims are not in a hurry and are not planning anything like decimating the population of Christians in Nigeria.
“We are not in any position whatsoever to remove Christians from Nigeria. No, it is not possible.’’
Insecurity in Nigeria: Sultan urges unity
Furthermore, the Islamic leader stressed that both Muslims and Christians must coexist in an environment of respect, stability, and understanding. He also urged Nigerians to rethink how insecurity is described, warning against attaching religion to criminal acts.
His words:
“Let us get the narrative right, it is not about religion. Let us stop bringing religion into it. Let us call them what they are, criminals, not Muslim criminals, not Muslim terrorists, not Muslim bandits.
“Even if someone claims to be Muslim, what they do goes against Islam.”
Linking the problem to ignorance, he warned against false claims of religious authority, adding that “the fact that you understand Arabic does not make you a Sheikh. Arabic is just a language. So literacy is very important.’’
Source: Facebook
Sultan condemns violence in religion
On those who carry out violence in the name of religion, he said:
“Somebody can go to the market, blows his or herself up, kill people and shout ‘Allahu Akbar’.
“Yes, God is great, but you are going to hell. They will suffer for taking innocent lives.’’
Shehu Sani explains prolonged insecurity
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Shehu Sani, a former senator from Kaduna State, blamed corruption for Nigeria’s years-long battle with banditry and terrorism.
Sani stated that terrorists are “afraid” of attacking targets in neighbouring countries like Niger, Chad, and Cameroon, but the same cannot be said of Nigeria.
According to the activist-turned-politician, Nigeria’s defence and security agencies in the past did not fully dedicate themselves to service, and he alleged that resources meant for junior officers often did not reach them.
Source: Legit.ng