LAGOS, Nigeria(VOICE OF NAIJA)- A political storm is brewing after a former Texas mayor, Mike Arnold, demanded that the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Abubakar III, publicly address allegations linking him to what Arnold described as “jihad genocide” and mass killings in northern Nigeria.
Arnold, who founded Africa Arise International, triggered controversy with a series of social media posts accusing the Sultan of failing to intervene in violent attacks across the region.
He argued that, as the spiritual leader of millions of Muslims, the monarch could not be removed from the ongoing security crises sweeping the North.
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In a response, the Sultanate Council dismissed the accusations as baseless, stating that the monarch would not dignify the claims since federal authorities and the Senate had already addressed the matter.
Despite this, Arnold maintained that patterns of violence, resource theft, and attacks on Christian communities required a deeper probe. He questioned what he described as the Sultan’s “silence” amid widespread killings and alleged mineral looting worth billions of dollars from northern territories.
According to him, “The facts demand investigation to determine his guilt or clear him of it. Let’s hear his case. If no killing happens without traditional rulers knowing, then he knows more than anybody else.”
He also accused the Sultan of inconsistent responses to armed groups, noting that while a fatwa was once issued against Boko Haram, no similar action had been taken against violent Fulani factions.
However, the Sultanate Council through its Secretary, Alhaji Saidu Maccido, insisted the monarch remained committed to peace and national stability. Maccido urged Nigerians to ignore “divisive narratives,” stressing that responding again would only elevate unfounded claims.
