The Digest:
The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, has firmly stated that subjecting Christians to Sharia law or courts is "totally wrong." The monarch emphasized that Islamic law is exclusively for Muslims and should never be imposed on followers of other faiths in Nigeria.
Key Points:
- The Sultan made the declaration at the opening of NIREC's 2025 triennial meeting, themed on promoting peace through collaboration.
- He asserted that Sharia is "purely 100 per cent for Muslims" and advised against forcing Christians to dress or pray like Muslims.
- While acknowledging Nigeria as a multi-religious rather than secular state, he noted the government does not adopt any religion officially but supports the development of both Islam and Christianity.
- He defended the existence of Sharia against recent calls for its abolition, stating that Nigeria allows all religions to practice without undue interference.
- The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, called for deeper synergy between NIREC and the government to counter insecurity and violent extremism.
- The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, highlighted challenges, including internal security issues and degraded public trust.
- CAN President Archbishop Daniel Okoh urged closer collaboration between faith institutions and the state to address the national security crisis.
Sources: PM News, Daily Trust
