According to a report by Vanguard on Thursday, May 7, 2026, the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar III, has urged Nigerians to stop viewing every violent conflict in the country through a religious lens, saying Muslims were not pursuing any agenda to eliminate Christians in Nigeria.
He made the remarks during the first triannual meeting of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council held in Abuja.
The gathering brought together religious leaders, government officials and stakeholders who discussed national unity, insecurity and the need for stronger understanding among people of different faiths across the country.
The meeting was jointly attended by the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Daniel Okoh, and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume.
The leaders stressed the importance of peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims and called for a renewed commitment to dialogue as a way of addressing growing mistrust and tension in different parts of the country.
Discussions at the meeting focused on how Nigerians could better understand the causes of insecurity without quickly linking every criminal activity to religion.
Sa’ad Abubakar explained that many violent acts committed by criminal groups were often wrongly interpreted as religious attacks, a situation he said had continued to deepen suspicion among communities.
According to him, attaching religion to criminality creates more division and weakens efforts to achieve national unity.
He maintained that criminals should be treated as criminals regardless of the religion they claim to belong to, adding that both Islam and Christianity promote peace and respect for human life.
He also stated that religious leaders have a responsibility to educate their followers properly in order to reduce misunderstanding and false narratives.
During the session, the Sultan repeatedly emphasized the need for continuous dialogue among Nigerians from different religious and ethnic backgrounds.
He said discussions and peaceful engagement remained the most reliable way to resolve conflicts and strengthen trust among citizens.
He encouraged religious leaders, traditional rulers and government authorities to continue creating opportunities for interaction between communities, especially in areas where tension and insecurity have affected relationships among residents.
According to him, understanding one another’s beliefs and values would help reduce fear and improve cooperation among Nigerians.
The Sultan also condemned individuals who commit violence while claiming to act in the name of religion.
He explained that carrying out attacks against innocent people could never be justified by faith, regardless of the words or slogans used by the perpetrators.
He noted that extremists who kill innocent citizens do not represent the teachings of Islam or Christianity and should not be used to judge entire religious communities.
His comments came as religious and government leaders at the meeting called for greater religious literacy, peaceful coexistence and a stronger commitment to national unity in the face of security challenges affecting different parts of Nigeria.
The Nigeria Inter-Religious Council meeting also highlighted concerns about the growing spread of misinformation and hate narratives capable of increasing tension among citizens.
Participants stressed that political, economic and criminal factors often play major roles in violent conflicts across the country, even though such incidents are sometimes quickly labelled as religious crises.
Religious leaders at the meeting agreed that greater cooperation between faith groups would help reduce fear and misunderstanding while promoting peace and stability in communities facing insecurity.
He said, “Somebody can go to the market, blows his or herself up, kill people and shout ‘Allahu Akbar’. Yes, God is great, but you are going to hell. They will suffer for taking innocent lives…See More
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