Sultan of Sokoto Muhammad Abubakar III has said Muslims in Nigeria have no plan to remove Christians from the country.
He spoke on Wednesday at the first triannual meeting of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council in Abuja.
According to the Sultan, claims that Muslims are planning to eliminate Christianity in Nigeria are false. “Today, as I stand here, I want to affirm that Muslims are not in a hurry and have no plans for anything, including the decimation of the Christian population in Nigeria,” he said.
“We are in no position at all to take Christians out of Nigeria.”
The monarch called for peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims, saying both groups must continue to live together with mutual understanding and respect.
“As Allah had decided to bring us together, he knows why he brought us together,” he said.
“We believe we must live together in an environment of peace, stability, respect, and understanding of one another.”
The Sultan also warned against linking criminal activities to religion, saying bandits and terrorists should be described as criminals and not identified by religion.
“Stop saying they are Islamic terrorists. Terrorists and bandits are criminals, not Muslim criminals,” he said.
“There are more Muslims killed in all this madness called banditry or terrorism.”
He condemned those who commit violence in the name of religion, saying their actions do not represent Islam. “You build yourself up, go somewhere, blow yourself up and say ‘Allahu Akbar!’ Yes, God is great, but you are going to hell. Don’t think you are going to heaven. You are going to hell for taking the lives of innocent people,” he added.
The Sultan urged Nigerians to avoid narratives that could increase division in the country. “Let us get the narrative right; it is not about religion. Let us stop bringing religion into it,” he said.
“Let’s refer to them by their true identity: criminals, not Muslim criminals, not Muslim terrorists, not Muslim bandits.”
