Sultan of Sokoto says Mambilla Plateau violence not targeted at any tribe

The Sultan of Sokoto, Dr. Muhammad Abubakar, on Friday said that the recent crisis in Mambilla Plateau, Taraba State, was not targeted at any tribe.

“The crisis was not planned by individuals or groups to eliminate any tribe; as an ex-military officer, I can only believe that the crisis was planned when I see a document to confirm that,” Abubakar said in Bauchi.

Abubakar said this while speaking at a National Symposium and Launching of 2025 Vision by Da’awah Coordination Council of Nigeria (DCCN).

The Sultan, however, decried the destruction during the violence, and prayed against a recurrence.

He said that he had met with some leaders in Taraba and cautioned them against playing politics with lives of the people.

“As leaders, we must study situations during any crisis before commenting. We must avoid comments that will worsen already bad situations,” he said.

He said that leaders must focus on putting out fire where there was one, and stressed the need to reach out to all stakeholders toward restoring normalcy.

He urged government to strive to bring culprits of the Mambilla violence to book, and warned against derogatory terms like Islamic fundamentalists or extremists, Fulani attackers, Berom or Mambilla terrorists.

“It is such derogatory terms that fueled the crisis,” Abubakar declared.

He said that criminals should be treated as criminals without attributing such crimes to their tribe, religion or other inconsequential sentiments.

He urged DCCN to propagate slam to non-Muslims in a non-combative manner.

“Tell people what Islam is; tell them why they should be Muslims and what difference it could make to their lives,” he said.

The Sultan rejected suggestions that there were plans to Islamise the country.

“When Umar Yar’adua was President, Christians and Muslims leaders wrote, asking him to make Islamic and Christian Religious Knowledge core and compulsory subjects in schools.

“When Goodluck Jonathan took over, we presented a paper making the same demand which was approved, but the then Minister of Education refused to implement it for reasons best known to him.

“So, I wonder why a controversy sudden surfaced over alleged attempts by Muslims to force Islam on Christians by compelling students to learn Islamic religion in schools,” he said.

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Earlier, the National President of DCCN, Mallam Muhammad Maidoki, had said that the body comprised of 51 groups out to propagate Islam.

He called on Muslims to refrain from vices, and urged Nigeria’s leaders to allow Muslims to reside and practice their religion in any part of the country.

The Deputy Governor of Bauchi State, Alhaji Nuhu Gidado, in his speech, called for peaceful propagation of Islam in Nigeria.