Sultan Calls on Tinubu to Act as Attacks and Killings Continue

(Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar. Photo by The State House Abuja)

The Jama'atu Nasril Islam, led by the Sultan of Sokoto, has called on President Tinubu's government to urgently stop the bloodshed across Nigeria.

The Sultan prayed for peace to return to the north and the country.

He asked for a complete overhaul of how the country handles security, saying agencies must stop only responding to attacks and instead move toward intelligence-based prevention work.

He stressed that security forces need stronger backing from the federal and state governments.

The Sultan said particular focus should go to finding and destroying b@ndit and t3rrorist camps and the routes they use to move supplies.

Breaking up the networks that move weapons, ammunition, fuel, food and motorcycles to armed groups is vital.

On the death of 37 suspected illegal miners in Niger State, the JNI welcomed the federal government's promise to start an independent inquiry and suspend officers tied to the incident while investigations happen.

But the group raised serious concerns about how the people were arrested, how they were held, whether they got medical care, how detainees were watched and how so many people could d!e while held by the state.

The JNI said recent att@cks across Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Kebbi, Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Niger, Gombe, Kogi, Benue, Plateau and other states paint a troubling picture that should worry every Nigerian.

In Sokoto alone, recent attacks brought d£aths, wounds, k!dn@ppings and cattle theft, while military operations continue trying to free k!dn@pped people and stop t3rrorist work.

The JNI is troubled that despite military and security operations, innocent people keep getting k!lled, t@ken and k!dn@pped from homes and roads, forced from their communities and left afraid and hurt.

The group called for intelligence sharing between the Armed Forces, police, DSS, NSCDC and other agencies, strong control of Nigeria's loose borders and watching of cross-border crime and t3rrorism networks.

It also urged protection of at-risk communities, schools, roads, places of worship and markets, stronger community intelligence while keeping local security properly watched, and tackling the money and social problems that draw young people into crime.

The JNI stressed that illegal mining must be dealt with lawfully and with mercy, while distinguishing real small-scale miners from criminal groups and treating arrested people by law.

It called for solid systems to watch holding places so people in state care stay safe from harm or preventable d£ath.