By Raphael Ede
Enugu
The Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar 111, has advised Nigerian politicians to stop using ethnicity and religion to divide Nigeria, stressing that it was God that brought the country together.
Abubakar also said that it was only in Nigeria that a large number of Christians and Muslims have been living together peacefully.
The Sultan, who gave this advice in Enugu yesterday during official reception of Enugu Rangers, the Flying Antelope, for their victory at the 2016 Nigerian Professional Football League, NPFL organised by the state government, said that it was erroneous for some people to attribute the armed herdsmen that have been killing people and destroying farmlands as a form of Islamising Nigeria.
He said that people who engaged in such acts in whatever guise should be regarded as criminals and should be treated as such, pointing out that Islamic religion never supported killing to force people to become Muslims.
“We are not to kill anybody because of religion. We must not allow bad ones to spoil our unity. There are many good Nigerians. There are many bad Nigerians. There are criminals everywhere. It is not the issue of religion. You don’t Islamise a people by killing them.
“There is no compulsion in religion. Our problem in Nigeria is extremism. Islam does not support violence. As a good Moslem or Christian, we must love one another,” the Sultan advised.
Speaking at the occasion, the state Governor, Chief Ugwuanyi, said that the Sultan had been a great supporter of Rangers even when he was in Enugu as a military officer.
Ugwuanyi, who was glad that Rangers lifted the trophy after 32 years, gave the victorious team a pat on the back with a cheque of N4.5 million and also promised to give each player parcels of land.