The Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar III, has strongly condemned the killing of innocent people carried out in the name of religion, stating that anyone who takes lives while invoking “Allahu Akbar” will face divine punishment.
He made the remarks during the first triannual meeting of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council held in Abuja, where he was joined by the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Daniel Okoh, and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume.
According to the Sultan, violence wrongly associated with religion has continued to fuel suspicion and mistrust among Nigerians.
“We must get the narrative right. This is not about religion,” he said, urging citizens to stop labelling criminals as “Muslim terrorists” or “Muslim bandits.”
He stressed that such individuals should simply be described as criminals, adding that true religious teachings do not support such acts.
“Even if someone claims to be Muslim, what they are doing is completely against Islam,” he said.
The Sultan also warned against ignorance and false claims of religious authority, noting that speaking Arabic does not automatically make someone a religious scholar.
He further condemned extremist behaviour, saying, “Someone can go to the market, strap explosives, kill innocent people and shout ‘Allahu Akbar’. Yes, God is great, but such a person is going to hell. They will suffer for taking innocent lives.”
The meeting highlighted ongoing concerns about religious misunderstanding and extremism, with leaders calling for unity and accurate representation of faith.
Elijah Adeyemi
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