Sultan Faults Clerics Over Silence on Worsening Insecurity

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, on Wednesday took faith leaders to task over what he described as their lack of sincerity in addressing Nigeria’s worsening insecurity.

Speaking at the Second Tri-Annual Meeting of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) in Abuja, the Sultan—who co-chairs the body—warned that the council risked slipping into irrelevance unless religious leaders embraced honesty, accountability and genuine engagement.

He expressed concern that NIREC had drifted from its founding principles, noting that internal contradictions were undermining its credibility as a national platform for promoting peace and unity.

Recalling earlier years of NIREC’s activities, the monarch said the atmosphere then reflected harmony and shared commitment.

“Many years ago, when I walked in here, the atmosphere was warm, friendly and full of genuine camaraderie. Anyone observing our conversations then would know we were in a joyful mood,” he said.
“Now, unless something is wrong somewhere, we must ask ourselves some questions.”

His comments came as the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) renewed calls for stronger federal action on insecurity, while the Federal Government continued to dismiss international allegations of religious persecution.

The Sultan maintained that Nigeria’s security challenges required truthfulness and courage from faith leaders, stressing that anything short of sincerity would render NIREC ineffective in fulfilling its mandate.