The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar has given a fresh insight into the emergence of Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria, since 2009.
According to him, the insurgency is part of God’s punishment against Nigerians for disobeying his commands as given in both the Quran and the Bible.
Sultan Abubakar said this in a message delivered at the 5th International Conference on “Love and Tolerance: Countering Violent Extremism for Peaceful Coexistence” in Abuja. The message bearer was Dr. Idris Musa, the Emir of Jiwa, an Abuja suburb.
Abubakar said Nigerians are living in sin and have refused to abide by the teachings of the Quran and the Bible.
He expressed dismay over the spate of insecurity in the country, lamenting that it had got to a stage where the rich were avoiding the poor.
It(Boko Haram) is part of the punishment we are receiving based on our sins. If we can stop committing sin and abide by God’s words, things will change.
“The security challenge is our problem. The Holy Quran is a message to mankind. The Holy Bible is a message to mankind. If we cannot listen to what the Bible and Quran have taught us and we continue in our bad ways, what do we expect?
“It is part of the punishment we are receiving based on our sins. If we can stop committing sin and abide by God’s words, things will change.
“I thank the UFUK Foundation for trying to unite the world to become one and love each other. Today, we are in a situation that most of us do not love each other. This is wrong, we are created in the same way and we are brothers, no matter the situation and religion.
“We are appealing to everyone to live together and be our brother’s keeper and live in harmony. We should not create problems for each other,” he said.
The Sultan however expressed optimism that Nigeria would overcome the security challenges bedevilling it.
“We can win the fight against insurgency. Everyone is afraid of each other, but I am sure that we are going to win the war. Today, it has reached a situation where a senior citizen is running away from the common man, because, he is thinking that he would lose his life, why?” he asked. He called on Muslims and Christians to continue to pray for God’s mercy, peace and unity of the nation.
