The Sultan of Sokoto and President of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III has lamented the situation in Nigeria where killings and insurgency reduced drastically during the 2023 electioneering period but have suddenly returned after the elections.
Speaking in Abuja on Thursday during the second quarterly meeting of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), with the theme ‘Media and Effective Nation Building,’ the Sultan said the killings are not related to any religious inclination but are the handworks of some uninformed people.
The traditional ruler also called out the security operatives, accusing them of failing to respond adequately to the threats and activities of the criminals, saying the security operatives only appear at scenes of attacks to mock victims long after bandits have struck and disappeared.
He said, “Throughout the campaigns and the elections, we never had these cases of insecurity. Suddenly, after the elections, the killings continued across Niger, Plateau, Kaduna and other places.
“These killings are definitely not related to religion, but the activities of some set of uninformed people.
“Imagine a situation where bandits would invade a community, kill people and destroy their properties, with little or no resistance from the security officials, only for the security officials to appear long after the attacks and perhaps, to mock the people or look at the ashes of destroyed items.
“Few days ago, it was reported that some United States Embassy staff were killed and burnt in Anambra State. That’s barbaric and shouldn’t have happened because there is no justification for that.
“Why this resurgence? Definitely, these resurgences are not religious. Since a new government is coming in, we’re sure we can engage the government to hit the ground running in bringing solutions to these problems.
“But we cannot continue that way because when bandits just go into people’s communities, kill them and burn their houses and nothing is done, then when the deed is done, the security agencies will go there to do what? To look at the ashes that are being burnt?”
The Sultan pointed out the critical role of the media in nation-building and peaceful co-existence and therefore challenged media practitioners to be more involved in governance and administration starting with the incoming administration in Nigeria.
“Take a look at what’s happening across the countries of the world where the media compromised in quality, facts and truth. It’s unfortunate that Sudan is going through war and the role of the media is crucial in ending or prolonging the war.
“The media played a different role in the 2023 elections. The media will also play a crucial role in the coming administration. So, we expect to hear from the media professionals on their challenges and expectations and pass the message to the incoming government,” he said.
In his own remarks, the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and co-chairman of NIREC, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, said media professionals shoud “see their job as a calling and not a profession”.
Okoh pointed out that media practitioners can “set different religions and ethnic nationalities on collusion, hence the need for the professionals to understand the situation in Nigeria.”
