By Jelili Gbadamosi
Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto, has called for an immediate investigation into the killing of Col. Abdussalam Ude, urging the Federal Government and the Armed Forces to identify those responsible and ensure they are brought to justice.
Abubakar also condemned what he described as persistent discrimination and attacks against minority Igbo Muslims in the South-East, warning that such actions threaten national unity and peaceful coexistence.
His position was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by Prince Bashir Adefaka on behalf of the Sultan’s media team.
According to the statement, the Sultan made the call while reacting to the alleged assassination of Col. Ude at his residence in Abuja.
He urged the Federal Government and the military hierarchy to carry out a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the officer’s death.
“The Federal Government and the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria have to put heads together and get to the root of the circumstances that led to the shooting of Army Colonel Abdur-Razaq Abdulkarim Ude, a fine military intelligence officer whom both the Muslim Ummah and traditional communities, especially in the South-East, were proud of,” the statement quoted him as saying.
The Sultan stressed that failure to investigate the killing of any Nigerian, particularly a serving military officer, would undermine public confidence in the country’s justice system and weaken efforts at nation-building.
He maintained that those behind the killing, as well as the attempted attack on the officer’s family, must be identified and prosecuted to prevent a recurrence.
Abubakar further decried what he described as sustained hostility towards minority Igbo Muslims in parts of the South-East and called for greater religious tolerance, peaceful coexistence and equal protection for all Nigerians, irrespective of their faith or ethnic background.
