Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar III, has dismissed concerns that Muslims in Nigeria are pursuing any agenda against Christians, insisting that there is no plan or intention to eliminate or marginalise the Christian population in the country
He made the remarks on Tuesday at the first triannual meeting of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) held in Abuja, where religious and government leaders gathered to address rising tensions and promote national unity.
The meeting had in attendance the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Daniel Okoh, and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume.
The Sultan said many violent incidents often labelled as religious are being wrongly interpreted, arguing that such mischaracterisations only deepen suspicion and division among Nigerians. He called for a shift in how insecurity is described, stressing that criminal acts should not be tied to religion.
“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,”
He added that both Muslims and Christians must learn to coexist peacefully, urging Nigerians to focus on unity, understanding, and respect rather than division.
“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,”
The Sultan also warned against false religious authority and ignorance, stressing the importance of proper understanding and education.
“The fact that you understand Arabic does not make you a Sheikh. Arabic is just a language. So literacy is very important,”
He further emphasised dialogue as the foundation for peace under NIREC, noting that mutual understanding and trust are essential for national harmony.
“In NIREC, we believe in dialogue. No matter how bad things are, we believe in dialogue. When talking, you need to understand one another, not just tolerate. If you do not believe me, what else can you do? You cannot open my heart to see what is inside. We must trust one another,”
Speaking on violent acts carried out in the name of religion, he condemned such actions outright, saying perpetrators would face consequences beyond this life.
“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.”
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