Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa”ad Abubakar, on Thursday, demanded an immediate probe of the alleged killing of an Igbo Muslim army officer, Colonel Abdur-Razaq AbdulKarim Ode, urging the Federal Government and the Armed Forces to identify and bring those responsible to justice.
The Sultan in a statement issued on Wednesday by Prince Bashir Adefaka for the monarch’s Media Team, also condemned what he described as persistent hate speech and hostility against minority Igbo Muslims in the South-East, saying such actions were inimical to efforts at nation-building.
The Sultan, who is also the President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), said the Federal Government and the Armed Forces must get to the root of the circumstances surrounding the alleged shooting of the senior military intelligence officer at his residence in Abuja.
“As Muslims, we continue to act by showing love and encouraging peaceful coexistence, tolerance, unity and restraint as enjoined upon us by Islamic rules, regulations and guidance laid down for us in the Glorious Qur”an,” he said.
He said the government and the military should investigate the circumstances that led to the alleged close-range shooting of Colonel Ode, whom he described as “a fine military intelligence officer” admired by both the Muslim Ummah and traditional communities, especially in his region.
The monarch said allowing the killing of any Nigerian to go without getting to the root of the matter and bringing those responsible to justice was unacceptable, particularly when the victim was a soldier of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
According to him, the circumstances surrounding the officer’s death, as well as the reported attempt on the lives of members of his family, must be thoroughly investigated and the appropriate authorities should do the needful.
The Sultan also called for an end to hate speech and attacks against minority Muslims and Christians in different parts of the country, saying such actions undermine efforts at nation-building and peaceful coexistence.
He prayed to Allah to forgive the late Colonel AbdulKarim Ode and grant him Al-Jannatul Firdaus.
