The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, has appealed to the Nigerian Army to resist tribalism, warning that it could divide the institution and the country.
The Sultan made this call on Wednesday in Bauchi at the commissioning of the newly constructed Nigerian Army Armoured Corps headquarters complex and the reunion and pulling out parade of retired senior armoured officers.
“You are in the military now and many issues are centered around where you come from, who is a Muslim, who is a Christian, who is Hausa, Igbo or Yoruba in the country. We never knew these things many years ago. Please, don’t allow this to seep into the army as it would be the one thing that could divide us and the country,” the monarch said.
The royal father also warned citizens against maligning military personnel engaged in various operations to restore peace across the country.
“Nigerians need to help and pray for the military because without security, we cannot even go to sleep, go to work or even to worship centres,” he stressed.
On his part, Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed, represented by his deputy, Auwal Mohammed Jatau, assured of the state’s readiness to support the Nigerian Army and other security agencies in ensuring peace and the protection of lives and property of citizens.
