The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, has said political leaders cared less about the spate of killings and insecurity in Nigeria.
The Sultan stated this at the Northern Traditional Ruler’s Council 7th Executive Committee Meeting in Maiduguri, on Tuesday.
He said traditional rulers have condemned several killings in the country and wondered “how many times do we need to condemn these killings before our political leaders and security agencies stop or reduce the insecurity in the country to the barest minimum?”
“We, the traditional rulers, feel bad and saddened when our people are killed by people we don’t know. It’s high time we worked harder, talked to ourselves and in closed door meetings discussed it. We shall advise our political leaders, they are at the helm of affairs and we will work with them,” he said.
“As traditional rulers, we are not competing with governors of our states, we are only helping them. We will not and will never be in contention with political leadership or governors,” he said.
According to him, the monarchs came together as servants of the nation to discuss contentious security issues in a closed-door meeting, saying “we have more than 86 in the North. We will speak with one voice to say ‘enough is enough’ of this senseless killing of innocent people across the North and across the country.
He said insecurity in the North can be tackled, adding, however, that it is only if the political leaders, traditional and religious leaders and citizens alike are sincere and willing to play their parts.
In the closed-door meeting, the sultan mentioned that they will discuss all the contentions of insecurity in the country and North in particular.
“Since we are here, we will discuss the happenings in Borno. We heard some comments that Boko Haram is returning, and I say Insha Allah (God willing) Almighty Allah will give us the strength and wherewithal to defeat them.
“Also, our coming here is to put a joint statement that we are all brothers to one another, and whatever we shall do, we must do to help our brothers out,” he said.
He called on the people in the region and the country as a whole to have trust in God, citing the insecurity happening around the world.
“Yes, there is insecurity in some parts of Borno, but there is insecurity everywhere in the world, not only in Nigeria.
“For some of us that have gone round the world will know, more people are being killed in some developed countries everyday than the total amount of people killed in Nigeria in one month or two months,” he said.
He said with the killings happening in different parts of the country, there was a need for a collective approach to stem the tide of the ‘endless’, merciless’ killings.
“What happened in Plateau yesterday, and within the week, over 100 people were killed. It’s very bad because people appear from somewhere, kill you and they are never arrested.
“Before them, people were killed in Sokoto on Sallah day, killed in Kebbi, as so many other places. If you put together the total number of people killed in the country in the last one month it is so high,” the sultan said.
He told the northerners and other parts of the country to stop profiling criminals or criminality to a particular tribe, religion or ethnicity, saying in every tribe or religion, there are good and bad eggs. “So, let’s not look at some people and say they are the cause of our problems.”
The meeting, with the theme “Enhanced Security As Panacea For Stability and Development of the North”, was declared open by the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, who was represented by Governor Babagana Umara Zulum.
Governor Zulum asked stakeholders to focus on providing opportunities for the youth in Northern Nigeria.
“Our youth population is large, energetic and eager to contribute, but many are without opportunities. This vacuum is dangerous. We must invest heavily in skills acquisition, vocational education, digital innovation and entrepreneurship.
“Empowered youths are not only less vulnerable to crime or radicalisation, they become active agents of development,” he said.
Governor Zulum also stressed that agriculture has remained the economic lifeline for the North, hence deliberate effort is needed to enhance farming activities across the region.
