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Insecurity: Sultan of Sokoto bemoans killing in the north
The Sultan of Sokoto and Co-chairman, Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) , Mohammed Sa’ad Abubakar II has bemoaned the incessant killing and kidnapping of citizens in the north west region of the country.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the fourth quarter 2021 meeting of NIREC in Abuja, the Sultan said no single day passes without people being killed in the north especially the north west.
He urged Nigerians not to attribute the killings and attack to religion fight as the evil act is carried out by enemies of the country.
The theme for the meeting is ‘NIREC, Security and Agencies and Peace in Nigeria’.
He said: “We have series of challenges facing us and if we don’t wake up and come together, understand the issues facing us, we will all be in hot soup.
“Let’s not deceive ourselves that everything is all right, everything is not alright. I have said it so many times at so many fora that everything is not alright in this country. And to know that you have a problem, you have half of the solutions and the earlier we rise up to the occasion, come together, the better for us.
“If I continue talking about the insecurity in the North, we will not leave this room. A few days ago, we are witnesses to the media report on how people were killed in a bus in Sokoto, even though the figure is not correct, but even one life is important.
“There is no single say that passes without people being killed in the north especially in the north west now. And who are those doing that? we believe they are muslims because they come from many other places and who are they killing? Muslims not Christians.
“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 the mosque to pray because I saw in a paper that if I go to the 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”.
The Sultan of Sokoto also said the elites in the country contributes to the many challenges facing the country.
The Co-chairman of NIREC who said dialogue as the way forward to addressing these issue called on religious leaders to be mindful of how they dish out information to their followers.
“We do not have to be uniform to be united, these are some of the issues we should put on the table and discuss. God doesn’t make mistake when he created all of us and he gave us religion.
“There are differences between political leaders and spiritual or religious leaders. The spiritual leaders are guided by the holy books, we interpret the holy books the way the books should be interpreted not for personal reasons.
“We have to be careful in the way we handle things and do things as religious leaders. We are not political leaders. We have to be wary of what we say, when and how we say such things because our followers will definitely believe in what we say. We can not go on saying things we don’t have full knowledge of. We can disagree to agree but we must respect the feelings of one another.
“I believe in dialogue, sit down and talk to ourselves and come up with possible solutions to the problem of the majority” he added.
He further urged the Federal government to do all it takes to tackle poverty which is the major contributory factor of insecurity in the country.
Also Speaking, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) President and Co-chairman of NIREC, Reverend Samson Ayokunle urged security agencies in the country to up their game in the fight against insecurity.
He questioned why killings and abduction occur frequently especially in Kaduna state and the terrorists are not challenged.
According to him “Our nation is bleeding seriously because traveling from one point to the other by road in particular have become a very great risk. kidnappers are everywhere and they don’t only come out to kidnap but also to kill. So we don’t know who the next victim is going to be.
“Killings and abductions occur at Abuja – Kaduna highway recently in quick succession.
“For me also, I have been at the receiving end of this insecurity between our last meeting and now, I have lost so many members of my own church, the Baptist church in Nigeria.
“Why should these people be killing and hiding people in our territory without being challenged? Why should it be easy for them to hide people somewhere within the State and the security agencies in the states within few days or weeks will not be able to fish them out?
“If you are talking of collateral damage and you are happy doing some collateral damage but not pursuing criminals, then you are giving the criminals a free day to continue to operate with impunity.
“This situation is very real in Kaduna State especially.
“Since the law in Nigeria has not permitted us to hold guns, we have no other person to appeal to, than the people that have been given license to hold guns to defend us. So when we are commending you for what you are doing, we are also challenging you to do more. It’s not over until it is over.
“The way the security agency in the Federal Capital responded to people kidnapped in the University of Abuja, if they react like that to all the kidnappings in Kaduna state, I think things will be better. It is a challenge to whoever is in charge of command to the security agencies in Kaduna State to up their game”.
He also charged Security agencies to emulate developed nations like America who came into Nigeria to rescue two people from the North who were kidnapped without any collateral damage.
Reverend Ayokunle also recommended that security forces should increase intelligence gathering, purge themselves of the criminals among them who out of greed, aid and abet criminality.
He also called for increase in funding of security agencies with modern equipment that will enhance their performance adding that there should be deliberate effort by the government to create enabling environment for the employment of youths making it difficult for criminality to be appealing to them to join.
He stressed the need for more robust policy of the country’s borders by the immigration and customs department to curb the infiltration of criminals into the nation.
He called for the blockage of sources of internal and external financing of these criminals.
The CAN President also recommended that apprehended criminals be allowed to face the full wrath of the law.
He however stressed the need to intensify prayers in churches and mosques stating that this will help overcome the challenges quickly.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha called for a non kinetic approach to curtail the act of insecurity in Nigeria.
He said: “I will want to say this without any fear of contradiction. That procuring platforms, increasing the number of personnel, training and equipping and resourcing our armed forces and security agencies would not achieve the desired result if it is not followed up with winning the hearts of our people in this nation.
“In spite of all the efforts of government, if we do not get community backing that will provide the local intelligence of some of the things that are happening in our communities, it will be hard for the armed forces and security agencies to operate efficiently and effectively on the prosecution of the war against insecurity”.
The Executive Secretary Of NIREC, Father Cornelius Omonokhua urged Christian and Muslims to come together and fight insecurity and terrorism in Nigeria.
The Northern Senators Forum has expressed its sadness over the lynching of travelers in Uromi, Edo State, saying that they were taken aback over the gruesome killing of innocent Nigerians because of the zone where the victims came from.
The Forum was reacting to the attack that led to death of individuals on 27th March, 2025 while travelling to the Northern part of the country after they were tragically stereotyped as Fulani kidnappers and brutally murdered in a despicable manner.
The Forum in a statement issued by its Chairman, Abdulaziz Yar’adua strongly condemn the killing and described it as a heinous act which must be investigated with the culprits brought to book.
It read: “We strongly condemn this heinous act, which is a clear violation of the fundamental human rights of the victims. We urge the Edo State Government to take immediate action to identify and prosecute the perpetrators of this gruesome murder.
“We commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for directing the police and other security agencies to conduct a thorough investigation into this incident, with a view to arresting the culprits.
“This swift action demonstrates the government’s commitment to upholding justice and protecting the rights of all citizens.
“As stated in Section 41 of the Nigerian Constitution, every citizen has the right to freedom of movement and residence throughout the country. No citizen can be expelled from or refused entry into Nigeria. We must uphold these fundamental principles and ensure that all citizens are treated with dignity and respect.
“We call on the Edo State Government, the security agencies, and all stakeholders to work together to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future. We must promote a culture of tolerance, understanding, and peaceful coexistence among all Nigerians.”
The Ex-Head of Service of Rivers State, George Nwaeke has revealed how the embattled Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara ordered bombing of the State House of Assembly complex in 2023 to avoid impeachment moves by legislators loyal to Chief Nyesom Wike.
The governor who was suspended from office in the heat of crisis rocking the State however, swiftly denied the allegation and urged the public to disregard it.
The former HoS who resigned from office recently gave the revelation during a press briefing on Friday in Port Harcourt, adding that bag of money was allegedly handed over to the former House of Assembly leader, Edison Ehie, who later became Fubara’s Chief of Staff to attack the Assembly complex located along Moscow Road, Port Harcourt.
He said, “First, it all started with the Rivers State House of Assembly, where Governor Siminalayi Fubara directed his Chief of Staff (Edison Ehie) to burn down the Assembly to avert his impeachment. That evening, Edison was in Government House with two other boys, including the former Chairman of Obio/Akpor LGA, one Chijioke.
“I was there with them when a bag of money was handed over to Edison for that operation, though I do not know the amount inside. I want to tell the people of Rivers State today that the House of Assembly Complex on Moscow Road was deliberately brought down by Edison Ehie under the instructions of Governor Siminalayi Fubara. I challenge him to an open confrontation, and I will provide more details.
“A day after that incident, I almost resigned, but I was very scared because I knew the power of a sitting governor. He knew that I was aware of the whole plan and that I was uncomfortable with the unconscionable act and his deliberate posture of innocence.
“Another attempt was also made to destroy the residential quarters of the House of Assembly members. If not for the press conference held there by Rivers youths, Rivers elders, and National Assembly members, that would have been another barbaric demolition in Rivers State.
“I realised that they actually wanted to demolish that second building because, weeks later, he personally told me that if he had known earlier, he would have pulled down their hall before targeting the residential quarters of the Assembly. He didn’t realise they had such a beautiful hall where they are now holding their sittings.
“I was shocked and asked myself: how could a man who wants to lead his people be destroying state assets and wasting public funds on a needless ego fight?”
Nwaeke stated that he resigned voluntarily, countering speculations that he was sacked or pressured to leave.
“With the load of misinformation in print and electronic media, I have chosen to set the record straight.
“I was not sacked, nor was I pressured to resign; I did it willingly from the depth of my heart,” he clarified.
Nwaeke further alleged that another attempt was made to destroy the residential quarters of the House of Assembly members but was thwarted by a press conference held by Rivers youths, elders, and National Assembly members.
According to him, Fubara had openly expressed a desire to demolish more state property, raising concerns about his leadership style.
He also claimed that Fubara had made comments about using the Ijaw people to influence Nigeria’s presidency, referencing control over oil pipelines and potential disruptions.
Reacting, Fubara denied the allegations levelled against him, asking Nigerians to disregard them.
The governor described Nwaeke’s allegations as “laughable” in a statement he signed on Friday.
“The truth is that Dr. Nwaeke has been compromised, and whatever he is saying is only aimed at fulfilling his promise to those who may have paid or coerced him to lie against me.
“I call on all well-meaning Nigerians and the good people of Rivers State to disregard everything said by Dr. Nwaeke as they are mere desperate attempts to discredit me and my administration, and undermine the peace process by Mr. President,” he said.
Overland Airways, Nigeria’s longest serving private domestic airline is pleased to announce the resumption of flight services from Abuja to Jalingo and return. Overland Airways has also introduced Lagos to Jalingo flights through Abuja.
Overland Airways has been the pioneer airline on the route for years but flight services were temporarily suspended in November 2024 due to expansion work at the airport. The airline is now set to reconnect the two cities providing passengers with convenient and reliable travel options.
Effective April 3, 2025, Overland Airways will resume three (3) weekly flights on the Abuja-Jalingo-Abuja route. The flights will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays using Overland Airways’ brand-new Embraer 175 aircraft. Flights will depart Abuja to Jalingo at 10:00am and Jalingo to Abuja at 11:30am.
Passengers across Overland Airways network including Lagos, Akure, Ibadan, Minna and Ilorin, amongst others can connect to Jalingo through our hub in Abuja.
Capt. Edward Boyo, Chief Executive Officer and Accountable Executive of Overland Airways says: “We are excited to reintroduce our Abuja-Jalingo-Abuja services which will not only enhance connectivity but also boost economic activities in Taraba State in particular and the Northeastern region of Nigeria in general. We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the Governor of Taraba state, His Excellency Dr. Agbu Kefas for his unwavering support and commitment to the development of the Danbaba Suntai Airport. We would like to also thank our customers for their patience and understanding and assure them of our usual excellent customer services.”
Jalingo has been a long existing route for Overland Airways, and for the very first time, Overland Airways will be operating our brand-new Embraer 175, a dual-class 88-seater modern jet aircraft featuring Premium class seats with spacious legroom and the regular Economy class on this route. We are keen on providing our Jalingo travellers with unparalleled convenience and comfort.
Overland Airways service offering has evolved from an all-turboprop fleet to a mixed fleet with the introduction of brand-new Embraer E175 jets. In October 2024, Overland Airways renewed its IOSA safety certification for the 5th consecutive time reaffirming its position as a safe and leading African carrier.
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