Sultan Warns Of Rising Insecurity As Federal Govt Tries 676 Terror Suspects

The Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), under the leadership of the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, has declared that insecurity and the state of affairs in the country appear to be deteriorating.

The Sultan, while urging Muslims to rededicate themselves to Allah, said Nigerians must work together with security agencies to stabilise the nation.

In a statement issued by the JNI Secretary-General, Prof. Khalid Abubakar Aliyu, on Tuesday to mark the beginning of the new Hijrah calendar – Al-Muharram, 1448AH in Nigeria, the Sultan called for fervent prayers for the betterment of the country and the entrenchment of peace and security, noting that the new wave of insecurity was seemingly defying all tactics being deployed to combat it.

“Nevertheless, this coming Friday, 19 June 2026, as the first Jumu’ah, the Sultan implores that Imams and other worshippers should dedicate it to fervent supplications against the bedevilling and nagging challenges of kidnapping, banditry, insurgency and other social vices troubling Nigeria,” the statement read.

“Furthermore, sustained supplications and prayers at this moment of grief should continue. The Imams should deliver solemn, soul-touching Khutbah (sermons) with special supplications for Allah’s intervention in Nigeria’s deteriorating state of affairs,” it added.

It noted that the Sultan of Sokoto had declared Tuesday, 16 June 2025, the beginning of the new Hijrah calendar – Al-Muharram, 1448AH, in Nigeria.

The JNI national headquarters felicitated with the Nigerian Muslim Ummah on the inception of the new Islamic year.

“The Sultan particularly wishes the Muslim Ummah in Nigeria and beyond a rewarding and peaceful new Hijrah year.

“He urges that we should bear in mind that it is high time we rededicated ourselves to Allah, the Most High, and begin to look inward at our respective missteps, especially since insecurity seems to be deteriorating. We all have roles to play to avert it,” the statement added.

It further stated that the month of Muharram is among the four sacred months in which warfare and other vices are forbidden, and in which criminality is severely punished by Allah, the All-Knowing.

“Therefore, the Sultan calls on all to de-escalate internal strife for the sake of stability, peace, economic prosperity, and the security of the Nigerian state,” he said.

FG Tries 676 Terror Suspects

Meanwhile, Nigeria has put hundreds more suspected terrorists on trial in its latest round of mass prosecutions, as authorities step up efforts to tackle a long-running insurgency, Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, said on Tuesday. Lateef Fagbemi

The country  is grappling with a 17-year insurgency led by Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in the country’s north-east. The conflict has killed thousands and displaced at least two million people, aid groups say.

Eighty-four suspects were due in court on Tuesday, joining about 490 already on trial since Monday at a federal court in Abuja, Fagbemi said.

Another 102 cases have been carried over from a previous trial.

“The message is to let everybody know that terrorism in whatever shape or form is not to be condoned or tolerated,” Fagbemi said.

Proceedings this week mark the fourth phase of terrorism trials under President Bola Tinubu. Over the past decade, mass trials have become a key part of the Nigerian government’s strategy to counter militancy.

Authorities said 386 suspected Islamist militants were convicted in April, with sentences ranging from five years to life imprisonment.

The prosecutions come amid continued military operations against insurgent groups, including Islamic State West Africa Province, which remains active in parts of the north-east.