The Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), His Eminence Sa’ad Abubakar III, has spoken out with unmistakable firmness and moral authority to debunk what he described as dangerous and deeply irresponsible allegations suggesting that there exists any coordinated plan or intention to wipe out Christians in Nigeria.
The Sultan’s rare and direct public rebuttal of the allegations comes amid a period of heightened religious tension and anxiety across parts of Nigeria, where inflammatory rhetoric, social media conspiracy theories, and politically motivated religious narratives have been circulating with alarming frequency — threatening to deepen fault lines between Nigeria’s two dominant religious communities and undermine the fragile but precious tradition of peaceful coexistence that has long been the bedrock of national unity.
Speaking with the calm authority and measured conviction that has characterised his decades-long leadership of Nigeria’s Muslim community, the Sultan stated categorically that neither he, the Islamic establishment he leads, nor the broader Muslim community in Nigeria harbours any intention, desire, or plan to harm, persecute, or eliminate Christians — dismissing such claims as not only factually false but morally reprehensible and potentially catastrophic in their consequences if allowed to gain traction.
“We are not planning to wipe out Christians. That is a dangerous lie,” the Sultan declared, in words that were at once a rebuke to those spreading the allegations and a reassurance to the millions of Nigerian Christians whose sense of security has been shaken by the inflammatory narratives circulating in public discourse.
The Sultan used the occasion to issue a passionate and heartfelt call for religious leaders, community heads, politicians, and media practitioners across Nigeria to exercise the highest levels of responsibility in the language they use and the narratives they amplify — warning that irresponsible religious rhetoric, once unleashed, can produce consequences that no human authority can easily contain or reverse.
He reaffirmed the fundamental Islamic principle of respect for human life regardless of religion, emphasising that the Quran explicitly prohibits the killing of innocent people and that any individual or group invoking religion to justify violence against fellow Nigerians was acting in direct contradiction of authentic Islamic teaching.
Christian leaders and interfaith dialogue advocates have responded warmly to the Sultan’s statement — with several prominent church leaders issuing statements of appreciation and calling for sustained dialogue between religious leaders as the most effective antidote to the dangerous narratives threatening Nigeria’s religious harmony.
Political observers have noted that the Sultan’s intervention is particularly significant given his unparalleled moral authority across Nigeria’s Muslim north — and his long and consistent track record of using that authority to promote peace, condemn violence, and bridge the religious divides that Nigeria’s politicians and extremists too often exploit for personal and partisan gain.
CDA News Nigeria commends the Sultan’s courageous and timely intervention and calls on all Nigerians — religious leaders, politicians, media practitioners, and citizens — to take heed of his message and commit to the preservation of the religious harmony upon which Nigeria’s unity and survival ultimately depend.
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