The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar lll, has condemned the killings of over 150 innocent people in Plateau State by yet to be identified bandits.
He therefore challenged security agencies to be more proactive against the bandits and other criminal elements across the country stressing that the atrocities is not against a particular religion .
He was speaking at the 80th edition of National Islamic Vocation Course (IVC) with the theme: “The Position of Muslims in National Politics and Economy: Where we are and where we ought to be” held at the Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium, Bauchi on Monday.
The Sultan lamented that bandits were always a step ahead of the authorities, querying the security agencies, saying; “Why can’t you be proactive to stop such attacks before they happen?
According to him, “What happened to our intelligence gathering mechanism? Are you telling me that nobody knows that such attacks were coming on?”
The religious leader noted thus; “We only condemn such things but after condemning such activities by these bandits and criminals, what next?
The Sultan who is the President General of Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs in Nigeria asked, “What are the rest of government who are supposed to protect our lives and property (doing)? Why do we keep on having these clashes, why do we keep on having these deaths caused by ourselves? The Tudun Biri incident is still fresh with us and now the recent on the Plateau.”
Obviously unhappy with poor intelligence gathering and lack of proactive measures by the security agencies and government generally, the Sultan further said; “In various places whether in Sokoto, Kebbi or Kaduna or anywhere, have we lost our sense of gathering information to avert any or such key loss? We must ask our government to be up and doing because this bandits are always a step ahead.”
He stressed that, “For some of us who are opportune to serve in the military, we know the activities of security agencies, they will keep on asking questions, what’s really is happening?”
He lamented that insecurity has regrettably been politised in the country, the Monarch further said; “We are all in one big country where we have poverty. Yes, Muslims, Christians and even those who don’t have religion go to the same market and they buy the same food stuff, they enter the same vehicles pay the same fares.”
He also stressed that it was not the issue of religion, “let’s not tell ourselves that anybody is planning anything against Muslims or Christians.”
The Sultan further blamed poor and ineffective leadership for the nation’s woes, and said that; “No, it is the issue of leadership and I have said it many times that let’s have confidence in leadership that within the next few months something will change.”
“Let’s keep on having hope because the moment we lose hope I am telling us that we are finished as a nation and people,” he advised.
The Sultan commended the organizers and urged the participants to spread the good things they heard from the meeting as well as put to use the skills acquired.