Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, the Sultan of Sokoto, has denied a post that said he was involved in the crisis in Benue State.
A viral picture going around on social media showed Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia in a worshipful pose in front of the Sultan.
The king’s media team said in a statement that the picture was fake and meant to stir up religious and ethnic tensions.
In a statement from Prince Bashir Adefaka, the team said that the false and misleading claims that were going around on social media tried to start a religious and ethnic divide.
It said that the Sultan had always worked for peace, harmony between religions, and national unity, and that any attempts to damage his legacy with false information should be rejected.
The statement said, “The Sultan of Sokoto’s Media Team has been made aware of a false post that is going around on WhatsApp and other social media sites called ‘leaked photo of Governor Hyacinth Alia worshipping the Sultan of Sokoto.’
“The content tries to bring a religious and ethnic story that divides people into the ongoing security problems in Benue State.”
“We want to be very clear that the image in question is not real, is probably made by AI, and was made on purpose to mislead the public.” It’s also a bad and dangerous idea to link the respected Muslim leaders in Nigeria, especially the Sultan of Sokoto, to things that have nothing to do with his job or his personal life.
“The commentary that goes along with it wrongly claims that there is religious bias and tries to make things worse by linking the Sultan to the crisis in Benue State. These claims are not only false, but they also pose a serious threat to the safety and unity of the country.
“These actions are part of a pattern of false information meant to cause division and make it harder for Nigerians to live together peacefully.”
We strongly condemn these actions because we are in charge of the Sultan of Sokoto’s public image and communication. He is also the President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), the Chairman of the National Traditional Rulers Council of Nigeria, the Co-Chairman of the Nigerian Inter-Religious Council, and the Co-President of the World Religions for Peace in New York.
The Sultan has worked for peace, harmony between religions, and national unity for almost twenty years. All good Nigerians must reject attempts to damage this legacy with false information.
We are also worried that people on social media have been spreading similar false stories for a long time. These kinds of actions could make tensions worse and make the country’s already fragile security situation even worse.
“Just to be clear, the Sultan of Sokoto does not look like this at all in the picture that has been going around. Also, Islamic teachings make it clear that prostration is an act of worship that is only for Almighty Allah. This means that the claims in the post are not only false, but they also go against the Sultan’s faith and beliefs.
“We urge the federal government and the appropriate security agencies to take strong action against the spread of false information and those who use it to create division. We will begin profiling some of these people for their actions very soon.”
“We also ask religious and community leaders of all faiths to encourage their followers to communicate responsibly, especially on social media. “Keeping Nigeria’s unity and stability is a duty that goes beyond religion and race.”
