Vice President, Kashim Shettima, has called on the Sokoto State government to ensure the safety and security of the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, stressing the importance of protecting his eminence as a revered leader and a symbol of national unity.
Speaking at the North-West peace and security summit in Katsina State, Shettima emphasised the need for vigilance and measures to safeguard the Sultan’s well-being, acknowledging his significant role in promoting peace and stability in the country.
He said “Our father who is a permanent picture in all developmental issues in this country, His Eminence the Sultan of Sokoto. I want to use him as my point of reference to recognise and appreciate all our royal fathers present here.
“And to the Deputy Governor of Sokoto, I have a simple message for you. Yes, the Sultan is the Sultan of Sokoto, but he is much more than that; he represents an idea. He is an institution that all of us in this country need to jealously guard, protect, promote, preserve and project for the good of our nation.”
The Muslim Rights Council (MURIC), raised the alarm that the Sokoto government was allegedly plotting to depose the Sultan.
MURIC had raised the alarm in statement by its Executive Director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, following the dethronment of 15 traditional rulers for various offences by Governor Ahmed Aliyu.
In the statement, Akintola expressed the opposition of Nigerian Muslims to any such plot against the Sultan.
“Feelers in circulation indicate that the governor may descend on the Sultan of Sokoto any moment from now using any of the flimsy excuses used to dethrone the 15 traditional rulers whom he removed earlier.
“MURIC advises the governor to look before he leaps. The Sultan’s stool is not only traditional. It is also religious. In the same vein, his jurisdiction goes beyond Sokoto. It covers the whole of Nigeria. He is the spiritual head of all Nigerian Muslims.
“Therefore, any governor who tampers with the stool of the Sultan will have Nigerian Muslims to reckon with because the Sultan combines the office of the Sultan of Sokoto and that of the President General of the NSCIA,” Akintola had said.
