In a closed door meeting between Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan and the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, both leaders resolved to call for a larger meeting that will include religious and traditional rulers in order to find a lasting solution to the threat of Boko Haram.
The meeting, no doubt spurred by the violent Boko Haram-claimed attacks in the north on Christmas day, held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Monday, a day after the bomb attacks that claimed over 40 lives.
Sokoto Sultan condemned the attacks in a news briefing at the State House, calling members of the dreaded Islamic sect “evil” and saying both Christian and Islamic religions must work together in the fight against it.
He said explained that the meeting was meant to both commiserate with the President as well as brainstorm on ways to “move the country forward, how to make our country stable and to approach those challenges that is facing Nigeria on a common ground.”
Alhaji Abubakar added: “I want to assure all Nigerians that there is no conflict between Christians and Moslems, between Islam and Christianity. It is a conflict between evil people and good people and the good people are more than the evil doers. The good people must come together to defeat the evil ones and that is the message. We want to assure all our Christian brothers and leaders that we stand on the part of truth according to our religion that we will continue to work Insha Allahu for the greatness of this country.”
He reiterated that there was no enmity between both different religions, adding that the government will do all it can to confront the problems facing the country. “As I said there is no conflict between Islam and Christianity and I want to assure that we will do all we can in the best of our ability to solve the numerous problems confronting our country”, he said.
The Sultan dismissed claims that the sect hasn’t been admonished by leading religious leaders. “Have we not been speaking out? Did you read the press statement I issued out the day before yesterday? What else do you want us to say?
“We are totally against what has been happening, we totally condemn all these. Nobody can take anybody’s life, its un-Islamic, its ungodly, nobody can take anybody’s life. All lives are sacred, must be respected and protected by all. So we have been speaking out.”
He assured that as a “Muslim leader” the Nigerian public could take his word and know that he means what he says.
