Sultan of Sokoto: Social media is terrorist organisation
By Jeffrey Agbo
Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, has strongly criticised the influence of social media in Nigeria, likening its impact to that of a terrorist organisation.
Speaking at the 7th Executive Committee Meeting of the Northern Traditional Rulers’ Council, held behind closed doors in Maiduguri, Borno State, the Sultan urged security agencies to take firm action against the misuse of digital platforms.
“Social media is one terrorist organisation,” he said. “Somebody can sit in the comfort of their home and formulate stories, and you will consider that it is true.
“Social media is a terrorist organisation that we must deal with. Security agencies must deal with this terrorist organisation called social media.”
The Sultan’s remarks come amid heightened concerns over misinformation and inflammatory content shared online, which many believe fuels unrest across the country.
He also condemned the persistent killings in Plateau and other northern states, describing the situation as intolerable.
“Our coming together as traditional rulers in the North, I believe, we have more than 86 in the North. We will speak with one voice to say ‘enough is enough’ of this senseless killing of innocent people across the North and the country,” he said.
“We have released so many statements of condemnation, but how many times do we need to condemn these killings before our political leaders and security agencies stop or reduce the insecurity in the country to the barest minimum?”
Expressing deep concern over the ongoing violence, the Sultan stressed the urgency of collaborative solutions. “We, the traditional rulers, feel bad and saddened when our people are killed by people we don’t know. It’s high time we worked harder, talked to ourselves and in a closed-door meeting, discuss it. We shall advise our political leaders, they are at the helm of affairs and we will work with them,” he said.
