Insurgency unislamic, says Sultan

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa'ad Abubakar III, has declared that all acts of insurgency are unislamic.

'' Insurgency is against the tenets of Islam and it is against the cultures and norms of Muslims in Nigeria and the world over,'' the sultan said in Sokoto on Thursday in his Sallah message to Muslims in the country.

Abubakar, however, said there had been tremendous achievements in the ongoing fight against insurgency in the North East Zone of the country.

'' We must commend the various security agencies in the country for their sustained efforts in taming the menace of insurgency and other related crimes in the nation.

'' These commendable efforts must be sustained to avoid complacency and to sustain the giant strides in this direction.

'' We are also commending security agencies in the state for working round the clock to ensure the prevalence of sustainable peace and security,'' Abubakar said.

He also commended the Federal and Sokoto State Governments for providing security agencies with the enabling environment to diligently operate.

Abubakar further noted that the prevailing peace and security in the state and Nigeria in general was due to good governance.

Abubakar commiserated with the families of the victims of insurgency as well as those of the recent Makkah crane crash which resulted in about 110 deaths, including six Nigerians.

He commended the Saudi authorities for promptly treating the injured pilgrims as well as compensating the dead, saying these acts constitute a mark of leadership.

'' Leadership is a trust from God and we must strive to discharge it diligently, piously and transparently.

'' The governments, at all levels, are trying their best to provide for the needs of the people, but more should be done.

'' More policies and programmes should be introduced to further reduce the menace of high rates of poverty and unemployment in the country,’’ he said.

He specifically appealed to wealthy individuals in the country to positively complement the efforts of the three tiers of government in tackling poverty through job creation.

The sultan also commended Gov. Aminu Tambuwal for sustaining the laudable programmes and policies of his predecessor such as the retention of the Zakkat and Endowment Committee. ( NAN)