Sultan of Sokoto to FG - 'Be sincere in fighting Boko Haram'

Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Jama’atu Nasril Islam, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, on Sunday asked the Federal Government to take a sincere and proactive step in ending the sordid activities of the Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.



Describing the various incidents of the sect as “unfortunate”, the Sultan, a retired military officer, recommended the recall of ex-service men to prosecute the ongoing war against the insurgents.

A statement on behalf of the Sultan by the Secretary-General of the JNI, Dr. Khalid Abubakar-Aliyu, in Kaduna on Sunday, said he viewed the sect annexing towns and villages and declaring the same caliphates as a grave danger to the nation.

He urged the government to wake up to its responsibility of protecting lives and property of Nigerians.

The statement read, “JNI condemns these heinous attacks in the strongest terms and once again calls on the Federal Government of Nigeria, with the loudest voice, to wake up to its fundamental and obligatory responsibility of protecting lives and properties of Nigerians.”

He said Nigerian sovereignty had been threatened by the sect’s taking over of towns and villages as such, calling on the government to “act fast and stop wallowing in diatribe, as human lives are sacred and must be seen to be treated as so!”

Describing as worrisome and embarrassing the way and manners soldiers flee battlefield on sighting the insurgents,the Sultan queried, “Where withered the Nigerian Army of the 1967-69 civil war? Where are the heroes of international peace keepings? When will the government bring an end to this scourge? Does the government really have the capability, capacity, commitment and sincerity to bring an end to this insurgency and the multifarious security challenges facing the Nation?

“As has been done painfully in previous cases, JNI President-General and the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, on behalf of Nigerian Muslims, condemns these unabated acts of terror being unleashed on innocent citizens and calls for concerted introspection and sincere commitment by government to take proactive and effective measures in addressing this pernicious problem.

” The Government should, as a matter of urgency, ensure that the security forces get all that they need for effective operations and that they serve diligently as soldiers should.

“In addition, all culprits must be apprehended and brought to justice, thus giving effect to the laws of the land and deterring others.”