Sultan of Sokoto Declares Killers Shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ are Hell-Bound

The Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar III, has declared that anyone who takes innocent lives while shouting “Allahu Akbar” will go to hell and will pay dearly for such evil acts. The monarch made the condemnation at the first triannual meeting of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) held in Abuja, where he spoke alongside the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Daniel Okoh, and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume.

The Sultan, who co-chairs NIREC, warned that much of the violence often described as religious is being misunderstood, deepening suspicion and mistrust among Nigerians. He urged citizens to stop linking criminality to any faith and called for a reset in how the country understands its conflicts.

According to him, “Let us get the narrative right. It is not about religion. Let us stop bringing religion into it. Let us call them what they are – criminals. Not Muslim criminals, not Muslim terrorists, not Muslim bandits. Even if someone claims to be Muslim, what they do goes against Islam.”

Addressing the issue of religious extremism, the Sultan linked the problem to ignorance and warned against false claims of religious authority. He stated emphatically that “the fact that you understand Arabic does not make you a Sheikh. Arabic is just a language. So literacy is very important.” He further condemned suicide bombings and attacks on innocent citizens, stressing that there is no religious justification for such violence. “Somebody can go to the market, blows his or herself up, kill people and shout ‘Allahu Akbar’. Yes, God is great, but you are going to hell. They will suffer for taking innocent lives,” he declared.

The Sultan also pushed back against fears of a religious agenda in Nigeria, affirming that Muslims are not planning to wipe out Christians. “Today, as I stand here, I want to affirm that Muslims are not in a hurry and are not planning anything like decimating the population of Christians in Nigeria. We are not in any position whatsoever to remove Christians from Nigeria. No, it is not possible,” he said. He stressed that both faiths must coexist in an environment of stability, respect, and understanding, and advocated a return to dialogue, describing it as the only workable path forward. “In NIREC, we believe in dialogue. No matter how bad things are, we believe in dialogue. When talking, you need to understand one another, not just tolerate. If you do not believe me, what else can you do? You cannot open my heart to see what is inside. We must trust one another.”