Sultan of Sokoto Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar says banditry and terrorism have no place in Islam, urges Nigerians to reject ethnic profiling, saying criminals have no religion or ethnicity.
- +Sultan: Banditry, Terrorism Have No Place In Islam
The Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, has declared that banditry, terrorism, kidnapping and other forms of criminality have no place in Islam, urging Nigerians to stop profiling criminals along ethnic or religious lines and instead promote peaceful coexistence.
The Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, has declared that banditry, terrorism, kidnapping and other forms of criminality have no place in Islam, urging Nigerians to stop profiling criminals along ethnic or religious lines and instead promote peaceful coexistence.
The Sultan made the remarks while receiving members of the 2026 Batch ‘B’ Stream I of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), who paid him a courtesy visit at his palace in Sokoto on Monday.
Addressing the corps members, the monarch, who is also Co-President of World’s Religions for Peace (WRfP), described Islam as a religion founded on peace, justice and respect for the sanctity of human life.
He said Islam forbids the killing of innocent people and enjoins Muslims to live peacefully with adherents of other faiths by promoting compassion, mutual understanding and good neighbourliness regardless of religious or ethnic differences.
The Sultan condemned the growing tendency to associate crime with particular ethnic or religious groups, insisting that offenders should simply be identified as criminals.
“Give them their proper name—criminals. Don’t call them Fulani, Tiv, Yoruba, Muslim or Christian. Criminality has no religion or ethnicity. Evil people exist everywhere and should be treated as such.”
He urged corps members to remain security conscious throughout their service year, respect the customs, traditions and values of their host communities and contribute meaningfully to national development.
The Sultan also addressed the recent killing of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) Chairman in Benue State, Alhaji Risku Muhammad, and others who were reportedly ambushed and murdered while returning from a peace meeting.
He explained that the statement issued by MACBAN, signed by its President, Alhaji Baba Othman Ngelzarma, was intended to prevent reprisals and discourage innocent people from becoming victims of retaliatory attacks.
According to him, the position taken by the association was consistent with the long-standing commitment of the NSCIA and traditional institutions to promote peace and uphold the rule of law.
Speaking on the sidelines of the visit, the Sultan said:
“We don’t add fuel to the fire; we quench it. When innocent people are killed, our responsibility is to calm tensions, not inflame them. No one should take the law into his hands because doing so only creates more innocent victims.”
He stressed that those responsible for criminal acts must be arrested and prosecuted through lawful judicial processes rather than through revenge or collective punishment.
Reiterating his position, the Sultan said criminality should never be linked to any religion, ethnicity or tribe.
He noted that people arrested for kidnapping and other violent crimes bear names from different ethnic and religious backgrounds, demonstrating that crime has no religious or ethnic identity.
“Whether a criminal bears a Christian name, a Muslim name, a Yoruba name, a Fulani name, a Hausa name or any other name is immaterial. Once you commit crime, you are simply a criminal.”
The Sultan also encouraged corps members to ignore negative stereotypes about Sokoto State, assuring them they would witness the hospitality and peaceful nature of its people during their service year.
He advised them to verify information before believing or sharing reports circulating on social media, warning that false narratives only embolden criminals.
“If you amplify only negative stories and ignore the good happening around you, you help evil to thrive. But when you tell the truth about what you have seen, you help humanity.”
Earlier, the Sokoto State Coordinator of the NYSC, Mr Tyoyer Gabriel Ter, said the visit was to pay homage to the Sultan and seek his blessings and fatherly guidance for the corps members.
Ter disclosed that 1,151 corps members had been deployed to Sokoto State for the 2026 Batch ‘B’ Stream I orientation exercise.
He commended the Sultan for his unwavering support for the NYSC scheme over the years, particularly his annual donation of a cow to corps members during orientation, describing the gesture as a reflection of his fatherly concern and commitment to their welfare.
The NYSC coordinator also expressed appreciation to Sokoto State Governor Ahmed Aliyu for approving the comprehensive renovation of the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp in Wamakko, describing the intervention as a major boost to infrastructure and the welfare of corps members serving in the state.
