Deal with bandits decisively, Sultan of Sokoto begs Buhari

Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to find a lasting solution to the plague of banditry in Nigeria.

Abubakar is the President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA). He is also the Sultan of Sokoto.

Abubakar made the call against bandits while paying a visit to the president in Abuja on Thursday.

The Islamic figure, according to a statement released by Buhari’s media aide Garba Shehu, commended President Buhari for the successes achieved so far in the Northeast.

“He called on the government to deal decisively with the banditry that is raving the northwestern states of Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto and some parts of the North-Central,” the statement read.

“While expressing confidence that security forces, with better synergy among them, will overcome present challenges, he solicited for the cooperation of all the governors with the federal government irrespective of their political leanings, calling on Nigerians to support the new leadership of the armed forces.

“The NSCIA leader also appealed to Nigerians, particularly religious leaders to refrain from making inflammatory comments that tend towards sowing discord in the polity and exacerbating the current level of insecurity in the land.

“He asked that religious leaders making subversive comments should be called to order.

“The Sultan equally identified with the ‘Hate Speech Campaign’ of the Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed.

“He said ‘Hate Speech’ is aggravating insecurity in the country and that ‘we have to act’.”