Killing in the Name of Religion is Criminality – Sa’ad Abubakar III

SULTAN OF SOKOTO

Nigerians have been urged to stop using ethnicity and religion to divide the country.

This was the call by the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar 111, penultimate week while also; condemning the violent conducts by some herdsmen across the country, saying the Fulanis should not be tied to such act.

Maintaining that those behind the murderous acts should be seen as criminals, the respected traditional leader also stated that corruption should be vehemently condemned no matter who was involved.

Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar III made these assertions while in Enugu state for the official reception of Enugu Rangers, the Flying Antelope, following their victory at the 2016 Nigerian Professional Football League, NPFL organized by the Enugu State Government.

According to the revered traditional leader, “it was erroneous for some people to attribute the armed herdsmen that have been killing people and destroying farmlands as a form of Islamizing Nigeria”.

“The Islamic religion never supported killing to force people to become Muslims but by persuasion and show of love”, he emphasized.

The leader of the Muslim community in Nigeria believes that; “God cannot make a mistake by putting together this country called Nigeria, he has reasons for that and that is why I tell people who say we want to go our different ways to stop”, he stated.

“How do you go your different ways? Don’t you read history?
Please refer to history books. We have Igbo people everywhere in the country and they are industrious. We have Hausa people who have not lived anywhere else excerpt in Igboland and we also have the Yorubas who are also in different parts of the country and contributing their quota”.

“So let’s show love because; you cannot be a good person if you don’t show love to your friends. If you are a good Christian, you must love your neighbor as yourself and a good Muslim must love his neighbor as himself and if the two religions teach that, why are we now fighting?

“It is important for us at this time to love one another for the good of the country”, he insisted.

Condemning what he described as “killing in the name of religion”, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III advocated for the arrest and prosecution of anyone that committed the act in accordance with the law, explaining that killing by herdsmen among others had endured because Nigerians have refused to confront those behind them”.

“We will never support any body taking the life of another because for us as Muslims, we know what the Almighty Allah said about killing one single soul unjustly; a killer is to be killed but not through jungle justice but through the law”.

“For anybody to kill in the name of religion that person is a criminal and should be treated as one and if we do that, definitely we are taking care of the unknown problems”.

“The second part of the solution is for us to come together to tackle these challenges. There are many good people around and there are bad ones. Let us not do something that will alter our relationship”, he advised.

Dismissing as unrealistic, the reports making the rounds that the alleged invasion of South-South and Southeast by herdsmen and the subsequent killings were part of the plot to Islamize Nigeria, Abubakar III stated that; “you cannot Islamize somebody by force. You Islamize somebody by showing a good relationship with him, showing that you are a nice person and he will now ask you about your religion”.

“In the holy Koran, there is no force to religion. Our problem is extremism and we must come together to put it out of us”, he counseled.

On the negative perceptions and feelings of some Nigerians with regards to matters concerning President Muhammadu Buhari, the Sultan noted that emphasized that the President; Muhammadu Buhari was a different person.

“What the people are thinking is not what Buhari is thinking. I have spoken with him on several occasions. Justice is the bedrock of every institution of governance”, he said.

Meanwhile, the Enugu State governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, while presenting a cheque of N41.5million to the players and management of the club for their victory, also promised to make available, a piece of land for each of them at the Rangers Estate.

“The government”, according to the governor, “would do all in her power to support the club as well as ensure they continued to maintain the victory”.