What Sultan told Buhari to do to killer herdsmen

The Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSICA), Sa’ad Abubakar III, has called on the federal government of Nigeria to arrest and prosecute those behind killings across the country.

The monarch lamented that the protracted farmers/herders’ crisis, which is known to all as a purely economic one, has been hijacked by some criminal elements lately.

According to him, “those killing innocent people, especially in the Middle Belt region, are criminals who should be arrested and punished accordingly.”

The Sultan who spoke while addressing resident communities, heads of security agencies, religious leaders and journalists during a Ramadan breakfast dinner held at his palace, however, warned against arresting and killing innocent Fulanis.

His words, “But don’t arrest or kill innocent Fulani men just like what had happened in Benue State when innocent Fulanis who were on transit were stopped and killed by some residents of the state,” he warned.

Reacting to a statement credited to some Christian leaders that if the only Christian girl abducted alongside the freed Muslims girls from Dapchi school eventually dies in the hands of Boko Haram, Nigeria will be heading for a religious war, he maintained that terrorism has no religion.

The Sultan regretted that such unfair statement could come from respected Christian leaders, even as he wondered the rationale such retaliation would be.

He queried, “How could that be? Did the Muslims connive with Boko Haram to abduct the girls and release others?”

Dispelling the impression that Boko Haram is targeted at Christians on behalf of the entire Nigerian Muslims, Sultan said Boko Haram killed more Muslims than Christians.

The royal father stated: “For them (Christian leaders) to now make that comment that if she dies in the hand of Boko Haram there will be a religious war is very unfair. How could you start attacking Muslims because this innocent girl happened to be a victim of murderous terrorists? Should we allow ourselves to be controlled by such mentality? It means they (Boko Haram) are winning the war because that is what they want.

“If they hear about this and go ahead and kill the innocent girl, that means you are part and parcel of what made them to do that because they want to cause confusion in the country. We are all praying for her safe return and for the safety of every Nigerian, irrespective of his or her religion”.