The Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar III, has condemned individuals who kill innocent people while shouting “Allahu Akbar,” declaring that such perpetrators are going to hell and will pay for their evil acts.
The Sultan, who is also President-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, spoke on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at the first triannual meeting of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council, NIREC, in Abuja. He addressed the gathering alongside President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Daniel Okoh, and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume.
“Somebody can go to the market, blow himself up, kill people and shout ‘Allahu Akbar’. Yes, God is great, but you are going to hell. They will suffer for taking innocent lives,” the Sultan said.
He insisted that violence and terrorism should not be linked to any religion, describing perpetrators as criminals rather than religious representatives. “Let us get the narrative right. It is not about religion. Let us stop bringing religion into it. Let us call them what they are – criminals. Not Muslim criminals, not Muslim terrorists, not Muslim bandits. Even if someone claims to be Muslim, what they do goes against Islam.”
The Sultan linked extremism to ignorance and misuse of religious knowledge, warning against individuals falsely presenting themselves as clerics. “The fact that you understand Arabic does not make you a Sheikh. Arabic is just a language. So literacy is very important,” he said.
He also dismissed claims of a planned Islamisation agenda, stating that Muslims are not planning to wipe out Christians in Nigeria. “Today, as I stand here, I want to affirm that Muslims are not in a hurry and are not planning anything like decimating the population of Christians in Nigeria. We are not in any position whatsoever to remove Christians from Nigeria. No, it is not possible.”
The Sultan stressed that both faiths must coexist in an environment of stability, respect and understanding. He added that any individual who takes an innocent life under the guise of religion is “going to hell,” as Islam equates the killing of one human being to the destruction of all humanity. He lamented that more Muslims have actually been killed in the “madness” of banditry and terrorism across the North.
The traditional ruler emphasized dialogue as key to conflict resolution. “In NIREC, we believe in dialogue. No matter how bad things are, we believe in dialogue. When talking, you need to understand one another, not just tolerate,” he said.
Leaders at the meeting said the way forward lies in dialogue, trust and a stronger push for religious literacy.
