The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, has declared that the Fulani herdsmen moving with guns, causing violence, fighting with farmers are not Nigerians, but foreign terrorists. Abubakar stated this in his Eid el-Kabir message to the Muslim Ummah in Nigeria. According to him, these are foreigners coming into Nigeria to cause a breach of the peace. “They are, therefore, terrorists and should be treated as such by the Nigerian security agencies.

“The Nigerian herdsmen are very peace-loving and law abiding,” he said. The Sultan, who noted with concern that some ‘‘bad eggs” had infiltrated the Fulani herdsmen, challenged the security agencies to be proactive. Abubakar, however, acknowledged that there were problems between the Fulani herdsmen and the farmers, which should only be resolved through dialogue.

The monarch further stressed the need for all Nigerians to live peacefully with each other, irrespective of any religious or ethnic differences. The Sultan also underscored the imperative of sustainable peace, if the country was to fully develop.

His words: “Nigeria would continue to lag behind if there is no peace and unity. Our diversity should be our strength and God has not made a mistake by creating us with diverse differences,” he said. On the ongoing hardship in the country, the Sultan appealed to Nigerians to go back to the farms. He also urged Nigerians to learn to be more productive, rather than solely waiting for the government to provide all their needs.

Abubakar also commended the three tiers of government for their ongoing efforts to provide succour to Nigerians. The monarch promised to continue to offer prayers, and provide wise counsel to the federal and state governments. He also stressed the need for leaders at all levels to continue to be just to all Nigerians, irrespective of any religious and political differences.

In his remarks, Governor Aminu Tambuwal pledged to support the Federal Government’s effort towards establishing cattle grazing routes as a means of solving the long-time conflict between the Fulani and farmers in the state. The event was witnessed by Second Republic President, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, the state’s Deputy Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Aliyu and Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, among others.