The Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar III, has condemned acts of violence committed in the name of religion, declaring that anyone who kills innocent people while shouting “Allahu Akbar” is a criminal and not a true Muslim.
Speaking at the triannual meeting of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council in Abuja, the Sultan said many violent acts wrongly described as religious conflicts are often misunderstood, leading to suspicion and division among Nigerians.
He stressed that criminality should not be linked to any religion, insisting that bandits and terrorists must simply be called criminals regardless of any religious claims they make.
According to him, Islam does not support the killing of innocent people, adding that individuals who commit such acts while claiming religious justification would face divine punishment.
The Sultan also warned against ignorance and false religious authority, noting that speaking Arabic or having limited religious knowledge does not make someone a qualified Islamic scholar.
The event was attended by Christian and Muslim leaders, including Daniel Okoh and George Akume, as discussions focused on promoting peace and religious understanding in the country.
