Banditry, terrorism, criminality not Islam – Sultan of Sokoto

The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, has insisted that banditry, terrorism, and other forms of criminality have no place in Islam.

Abubakar, who is the President-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, NSCIA, spoke while playing host to members of the 2026 batch ‘B’ stream I of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, at his palace in Sokoto.

He noted that Islam is a religion founded on peace, justice and respect for the sanctity of human life.

Abubakar said Islam forbids the killing of innocent people and encourages Muslims to coexist peacefully with adherents of other faiths by promoting compassion, mutual understanding and good neighbourliness, regardless of religious or ethnic differences.

The Sultan also condemned the growing practice of linking crime to particular ethnic or religious groups, stressing that offenders should simply be identified as criminals.

“Give them their proper name, criminals. Don’t call them Fulani, Tiv, Yoruba, Muslim or Christian.

“Criminality has no religion or ethnicity. Evil people exist everywhere and should be treated as such,” he said.

He urged the corps members to remain security-conscious throughout their service year, respect the customs, traditions and values of their host communities, and contribute meaningfully to national development.

The Sultan also told them to ignore negative stereotypes about Sokoto State, assuring them that they would experience the hospitality and peaceful disposition of its people firsthand.

He urged the corps members to verify information before believing or sharing reports circulating on social media.

“If you amplify only negative stories and ignore the good happening around you, you help evil to thrive,” he said.

“But when you tell the truth about what you have seen, you help humanity.”

The Sultan said criminality should never be associated with any religion, ethnicity or tribe.

He noted that individuals arrested for kidnapping and other violent crimes bear names from different ethnic and religious backgrounds, demonstrating that crime has no religious or ethnic identity.

“Whether a criminal bears a Christian name, a Muslim name, a Yoruba name, a Fulani name, a Hausa name or any other name is immaterial. Once you commit crime, you are simply a criminal,” he said.