"NIGERIA BELONGS TO ALL CITIZENS": ANGRY REACTIONS TRAIL INCENDIARY RELIGIOUS REMARKS BY SHEIKH YAHAYA JINGIR

Widespread condemnation has greeted incendiary remarks attributed to Jos-based Islamic cleric Sheikh Yahaya Jingir concerning religious demographics, political dominance, and the federal administration's joint-faith political structure.

​In a widely circulated statement that triggered sharp reactions online and among civil society groups, the cleric allegedly claimed that Nigeria is a Muslim-dominated nation and argued that the current joint Muslim presidency was necessary to establish religious superiority. He went further to suggest that citizens who oppose the current political alignment should leave the country, while invoking aggressive rhetoric directed at non-Muslim populations across the nation.

​The controversial comments have sparked fierce pushback from Christian organizations, public commentators, and moderate Muslim groups, who described the statements as dangerous political extremism designed to incite sectarian division ahead of future electoral cycles. Critics pointed out that such polarising narratives undermine national unity, violate constitutional guarantees of religious freedom, and threaten the peaceful coexistence of Nigeria's multi-religious society.

​"Nigeria belongs to all its citizens regardless of faith or region. The right to peaceful worship, political participation, and equal citizenship is guaranteed by the Constitution, and no religious leader has the authority to declare any group infidels or strip fellow Nigerians of their fundamental rights."

​Civic advocates and religious leaders have called on security agencies, including the Department of State Services (DSS), to take decisive action against hate speech and sectarian incitement regardless of the speaker's status. They emphasized that political officeholders and religious figures must promote dialogue and national harmony rather than fanning the flames of religious intolerance.