Christians, Muslims must unite to tackle insecurity – NIREC

Sultan of Sokoto Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar has lamented the incessant killing of innocent Nigerians in the northern part of the country by terrorists.Also, the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) urged adherents of both Islam and Christianity to unite and tackle the menace of insurgency, banditry and other related crimes.

These positions were expressed Thursday during the 4th Quarter 2021 meeting of the NIREC themed ‘NIREC, security agencies and peace in Nigeria,’ Thursday in Abuja.

Speaking at the event, the Sultan, who is also NIREC co-chair, said no single day passes by without people being killed in the region. 

The Sultan called on Christians to disregard the recent threat by some unknown persons of being killed if found attending churches in Zamfara state.

The monarch said Nigeria was facing series of challenges,  warning that if leaders didn’t wake up and come together to understand the issues facing the country, the trend would escalate. 

He, however, charged religious leaders to be wary of the kind of things they say to their followers, noting that their followers always believed they speak things from the Holy Bible and Holy Koran. 

While advocating dialogue to address some of the challenges in the country, Sultan Abubakar said the elite in the country remained the nation’s major challenge.  

 He said: “If I continue talking about the insecurity in the North, we will not leave this room. Some few days ago, we were witnesses to the media report on how people were killed in a bus in Sokoto. Even though the figure is not correct, even one life is important. 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. 

“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 you have not verified it, because you are making people to be more frightened?

“I will not stop going to mosque to pray 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.

“Let’s not deceive ourselves everything is not alright. I have said this so many times. 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.