“Islam enjoins you to live peacefully with fellow human beings. Allah says there is no compulsion in religion, so this alone is okay for us. Therefore, anybody who will come and smear our name, all Muslims should kick against that. Muslims should also do everything possible to stop this continued blackmail against the religion of Islam. We must prepare to fight it and ensure that we become successful,” he said.Babangida, in a telephone interview with the Hausa service of the British Broadcasting Corporation monitored in Kaduna State on Saturday, also said now was the time for Nigerians to unite so as to rescue the missing Chibok schoolgirls in Borno State.
While commiserating with parents of the Chibok schoolgirls over the abduction of their children, the former military ruler said, ”first of first, I am together with the parents of those girls in prayers so that Allah will protect these children. Secondly, this has affected the entire country. Once you are a Nigerian, no matter your religion, what happened to these children has affected every one that is called a Nigerian.”
On the slow response of the Federal Government with regards to rescue efforts, Babangida said now was not the right time to apportion blames.
“Allah has destined that this thing would happen in this way, what we are supposed to do is to look for ways that we can assist in finding these missing girls. If we could find them, they are not just girls from Chibok, no..they are Nigerian girls. So what I hope is that,the Muslims, the Christians, even the animists,” he said.
Source: Punch