The Sultan, who is also the Co-Chairman of Nigeria Inter-Religious Council spoke yesterday in Ilorin at the opening of a two-day international conference organised by the Kwara State government on security and peaceful co-existence in Nigeria.
He warned against any attempt by anyone to disintegrate the country in the name of religion, adding that the Bible and the Quran, two holy books serving as guide to Christians and Muslims did not recommended murder as a prerequisite to faithful worship.
He deplored the massacre in southern Kaduna, describing it as a Godless act and urged the military intelligence unit to arrest all the perpetrators of the crime.
The Sultan stated that: “We accepted to attend this programme for obvious reasons. We know the serious insecurity issues affecting our country now. There is no state that is not facing one crisis or the other.
“I give kudos to the Kwara State government for organising this forum to help us chart a way forward. I will challenge the state government to come up with a model that other states could emulate and have a peaceful atmosphere.
“God did not make a mistake when he created us as Nigerians and put us together. We must understand that and all of us who profess to be Christians or Muslims have a guide which is either the Quran or Bible. In these two major religions there is nowhere where killing of innocent people is allowed.”
He added: “Therefore, it is wrong when people wake up and dress themselves up with explosives going into market and other public places and shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ and killing innocent people under the guise of ‘jihad’ thinking you are going straight to heaven.
“I have said it many times that they could profess to be Muslims but what they are doing is anti-Islam. It is against the Holy Quran, the dictates of Almighty Allah and they are going to hell for committing murder unjustly.”
Explaining the reasons for the crises in the country, he said, “we have been having this problem because of impunity in Nigeria. People do things and go scot-free. It means crime pays. People steal government money and nothing is done to them.
“We have been working hard to see how we can stop the menace of herdsmen. I don’t want to say Fulani herdsmen. They could be any other thing. How could Fulani who move with their cows and family come to a village, kill people, destroy everything there and disappear into thin air like spirits? What are our security men doing? Where is our intelligence gathering mechanisms to know where these people come from to know who they are?”
Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed said it was apposite for a conference on security and peaceful co-existence is held at this crucial time in the country.
-Guardian