In moments of national trauma, silence is never neutral. It either reassures, condemns, or indicts. And in Nigeria’s long and bloody war against terrorism, few silences have been as loud, controversial, or deeply unsettling as that of the Sultan of Sokoto, Nigeria’s most prominent Muslim cleric and the spiritual leader of an estimated over 100 million Muslims across the country.
Once again, the Sultan is living up to a title critics have increasingly attached to him: the Sultan of Silence.
Five days ago, reports emerged of a major counter-terrorism operation in north-western Nigeria, allegedly involving U.S. intelligence support and coordination with Nigerian security forces, targeting long-established terrorist enclaves in Sokoto State. Security analysts and local sources described the operation as devastating to armed groups that had operated with near-impunity for years—groups linked to banditry, mass kidnappings, arms trafficking, illegal mining, and ideological extremism.
What made the operation especially symbolic was its location. Sokoto was not chosen at random. It has long been identified by Nigerian and international security experts as a strategic corridor for terror financing, recruitment, and logistics, largely because of weak enforcement, porous borders, and entrenched local protection networks.
Yet amid the gravity of these developments, amid the deaths of hundreds of armed fighters and the exposure of terror networks that had flourished for years, one voice remained conspicuously absent.
The Sultan said nothing.
A Spiritual Leader in a Time of Crisis
The Sultan of Sokoto is not merely a ceremonial monarch. His position carries immense religious, cultural, and moral authority. Historically, the Sultanate has been regarded as the symbolic heart of Islam in Nigeria, a moral compass expected to guide the faithful through moments of crisis, confusion, and conflict.
This is precisely why his silence matters.
When violence erupts elsewhere in Nigeria, religious leaders—Christian and Muslim alike—often issue statements condemning bloodshed, urging peace, and distancing faith from violence. The Sultan himself has, in the past, spoken eloquently against Islamophobia abroad and discrimination against Muslims globally.
But when terror groups operate openly within his own domain—kidnapping schoolchildren, slaughtering villagers, enforcing parallel systems of justice, and reportedly benefiting from illegal mineral extraction—the public hears very little.
And when a major international counter-terrorism operation takes place in his own backyard, eliminating groups long accused of terrorising Nigerians, the silence becomes impossible to ignore.
What the Public Expected—and Didn’t Get
No one demanded political speeches or classified disclosures. Nigerians expected something far simpler and far more basic:
A clear condemnation of terrorist groups operating in Sokoto and surrounding states
A statement affirming that terrorism has no place in Islam
A call for an end to the killing of innocent civilians, including victims of so-called “blasphemy” attacks
A denunciation of illegal arms trafficking and black-market mineral trade fueling violence
Or at the very least, a reassurance to frightened citizens seeking moral clarity
Instead, there was silence.
For many Nigerians—Muslim and Christian alike—that silence felt less like neutrality and more like avoidance.
Sokoto, Terror Networks, and Long-Standing Allegations
Security reports over the years have consistently identified parts of Sokoto, Zamfara, and Kebbi states as hubs for:
Terrorist logistics and recruitment
Cross-border arms movement
Illegal gold mining and mineral smuggling
Ransom-funded bandit economies
Ideological radicalisation under religious cover
These are not fringe claims. Nigerian lawmakers, military officials, and international partners have repeatedly warned that terrorism in the northwest thrives not just on weapons, but on silence, complicity, and political caution.
When terror groups operate “freely,” it is rarely because the state lacks power. It is often because enforcement is inconvenient.
Silence as Strategy?
Critics now ask uncomfortable questions:
Is the Sultan’s silence moral restraint—or legal caution?
Is it religious neutrality—or political self-preservation?
Is it fear of inflaming tensions—or fear that words could expose uncomfortable truths?
The comparison some observers have drawn is brutal but telling: the Miranda Warning.
> “Anything you say can and will be used against you.”
The implication is not that the Sultan has committed a crime—but that he may believe any clear statement could implicate powerful interests, expose past failures, or invite scrutiny.
And in Nigeria’s fragile political ecosystem, silence is often treated as the safest form of speech.
Why Silence Is No Longer an Option
Leadership is tested not in comfort, but in crisis. When terror networks are dismantled, when innocent lives are lost, when entire communities live in fear, moral authority demands clarity.
Silence does not calm the public. It fuels suspicion.
Silence does not unite the faithful. It fractures trust.
Silence does not protect Islam. It allows extremists to define it.
For millions of Nigerian Muslims seeking reassurance that their faith rejects violence, the absence of a strong, unequivocal voice from the Sultanate leaves a vacuum—one extremists are eager to fill.
The Cost of Saying Nothing
Across Nigeria, frustration is growing—not just with politicians, but with traditional and religious institutions perceived as selective in their outrage.
When clerics speak loudly on foreign issues but whisper on local bloodshed, credibility suffers.
When spiritual leaders condemn injustice abroad but avoid naming evil at home, moral authority erodes.
And when silence consistently aligns with power, not victims, people begin to ask whether silence itself has become a political position.
Conclusion: Silence Is a Statement
The question Nigerians are asking is no longer why the Sultan is silent.
The question is what that silence now represents.
If the Sultan is innocent of complicity, moral clarity is easy: Condemn terror. Reject violence. Stand with victims. Speak truth without fear.
Until then, silence will continue to speak louder than words—and not in his favour.
In a country bleeding from insecurity, silence is no longer golden. It is deafening.
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