According to a report by The Cable on Thursday, May 7, 2026, the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, has stated that Muslims in Nigeria have no intention of eliminating Christianity or any other religion in the country.
He made this clarification on Wednesday during a dialogue session organised by the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council held in Abuja.
The meeting brought together religious leaders, government representatives, and stakeholders to discuss peaceful coexistence, religious tolerance, and ways to address insecurity without deepening religious divisions.
During the gathering, the Sultan addressed concerns that have been circulating in some parts of the country regarding alleged religious domination or hidden agendas.
He stated that such claims suggesting an Islamisation plan or efforts to remove Christianity from Nigeria are not based on reality.
According to him, these narratives create unnecessary fear among citizens and weaken trust between different religious communities.
He explained that Nigeria is a country made up of diverse religious groups that must continue to live together peacefully regardless of differences in belief systems.
The Sultan further emphasized that criminal activities should not be associated with any particular religion.
He explained that individuals who commit violent acts do so based on personal or extremist motivations and should not be used to define entire religious groups.
He warned that labelling crimes as religious actions contributes to misunderstanding and deepens existing divisions among citizens.
According to him, both Christianity and Islam preach peace, and neither supports violence against innocent people.
He added that using religion to explain criminal behaviour distorts the true nature of insecurity challenges facing the country.
In his remarks, the religious leader also condemned extremist interpretations of religion that are used to justify violence.
He spoke strongly against individuals who carry out attacks in the name of religion and believe such actions lead to spiritual reward.
He described such beliefs as misguided and harmful, stressing that taking innocent lives has no place in any religious teaching.
He pointed out that those who engage in violent acts under religious slogans are misinterpreting their faith and contributing to instability and loss of lives in society.
His comments were directed at discouraging extremist ideologies that have influenced insecurity in some regions.
He said, “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.”…Read_More…