The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar lll, has declared that God was using insurgency in the Northern part of the country to punish Nigerians for their sins.
Abubakar said Nigerians must learn to adhere to the teachings of the Quran and the Bible to escape God’s wrath.
The monarch stated this at the 5th International Conference on “Love and Tolerance: Countering Violent Extremism for Peaceful Coexistence” in Abuja, on Thursday.
Represented by the Emir of Jiwa, Dr. Idris Musa, the Sultan of Sokoto stated that the challenge of insurgency would come to an end when Nigerians stop committing sin.
He said: “The security challenge is our problem. The Holy Quran is a message to mankind. The Holy Bible is a message to mankind. If we cannot listen to what the Bible and Quran have taught us and we continue in our bad ways, what do we expect?
“It is part of the punishment we are receiving based on our sins. If we can stop committing sin and abide by God’s words, things will change.
“It is part of the punishment we are receiving based on our sins. If we can stop committing sin and abide by God’s words, things will change.”
The monarch urged Nigerians to live in harmony and stop creating problems for themselves.
Abubakar, who urged Nigerians not to be afraid, stressed that the country has all it takes to defeat insurgency.
He added: “We are appealing to everyone to live together and be our brother’s keeper and live in harmony. We should not create problems for each other.
“We can win the fight against insurgency. Everyone is afraid of each other, but I am sure that we are going to win the war. Today, it has reached a situation where a senior citizen is running away from the common man, because, he is thinking that he would lose his life, why?”