Sultan berate FG on failed security in Nigeria

By Friday Olokor

The Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar and President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Rev. Samson Ayokunle on Thursday slammed the Federal Government for the poor management of the nation’s security.

Speaking against the background of the recent escalation of attacks in the Shinkafi axis of Sokoto and the general security challenges in the country, they called for a collective and coordinated approach to solve the nation’s security problems.

Abubakar and Ayokunle bared their minds in Abuja at the 4th Quarterly Meeting of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council.

The Sultan said everything was not right with the country, citing the increased level of crime and criminality across the federation.

He said, “If I continue talking about the insecurity in the North, we will not leave this room. We are witnesses to the media report on how people were killed in a bus in Sokoto, even though the figure of casualty is not correct. There is no single day that passes without people being killed in the North, especially in the North West, but we don’t hear it.

“Let’s not deceive ourselves, everything is not alright, I have said this so many times, and to know that you have a problem, you have part of the solution. The earlier we rise up to the occasion, come together, the better for us.”

Citing the recent threat letter by bandits to Christians in Zamfara State, the Sultan also came hard on the security agencies for not doing enough to investigate and authenticate the source of violent message.

He lamented that the lack of due diligence by the police before informing Christians of the planned attack on Churches in Zamfara could have frightened worshippers and dampened their faith.

The Sultan said, “When I saw a note that the bandits are threatening Christians in Zamfara, I asked what is the work of our security agencies? Why will they come out and make such comment when they have not verified it? You are making people to be more frightened.

“I will not stop going to mosque to pray just because I saw in a paper that if I go to mosque I will be killed. Let me be killed. I must die. So, Christians should not be afraid of going to church to worship because an anonymous person is threatening them.”

While advocating for a new approach and strategy to address some of the challenges in the country, the Sultan said some religious leaders have been part of the major problems the nation is facing.

“We have to be careful in the way we handle, say and do things as religious leaders. We are not political leaders. Therefore, we have to be wary of what we say, where and how we say such things, because our followers will definitely believe in what we say. They will believe and feel that it is from the Holy Koran or the Holy Bible.