The Sultan of Sokoto and President of the Nigerias Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, on Saturday in Abuja, warned the Federal Government not to allow foreign troops coming to assist the country combat the wave of terrorism, to occupy Nigeria’s territory in the name of offering help.
He stated that assistance from international community should be restricted to support in terms of equipment, logistics and training.
The Sultan, who spoke amidst the call for foreign assistance in the fight against Boko Haram insurgency at the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria diamond jubilee celebration, cautioned against the use of force in efforts to rescue the kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls.
Emphasising confidence in the ability of the military to contain the insurgency, the Sultan noted that there is no where use of force has brought peace.
He warned that if attempts are made to use force to rescue the girls, the students could be killed and according to him, “then we are back to square one.”
Abubakar called for support for the military, saying, “We must help them to achieve the burden of protecting our country and fight terrorism.
“We must unite to fight insurgents. Terrorism is not part of Islam. Some hide under Islam to commit crimes. They are terrorists and not Islamic militants, therefore we can fight terrorism,” he said.
Speaking on the foreign assistance, he said, “they offered to help us, but don’t bring your troop to occupy our territory. We cannot get them out once we allow them to occupy our territory.”
Source: Tribune
