The Sultan of Sokoto Sa’ad Abubakar III, has dismissed a viral social-media image purporting to show Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia prostrating before him, calling it a fabricated ploy to stoke religious and ethnic strife.
The photo, circulating widely on WhatsApp and other platforms, emerged amid increasing security challenges in Benue, in north central.
Benue has been plagued by farmer-herder clashes resulting in the death of hundreds of innocent persons.
Our correspondent gathered that the viral video falsely tied Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar III to the unrest, with captions alleging religious favoritism.
In a statement, the Sultan’s media team—led by Prince Bashir Adefaka—labeled the image “fake, likely AI-generated” and a “mischievous and dangerous attempt” to undermine national unity.
“The Sultan of Sokoto does not appear in the manner depicted,” it said, noting that Islamic doctrine reserves prostration
solely for God.
The Sultan, who heads the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs and co-chairs the Nigerian Inter-Religious Council, has spent nearly two decades advocating interfaith harmony.
His team condemned the disinformation as part of a pattern that threatens the nation’s fragile security, urging federal authorities to prosecute those responsible.
NewsQuest reports that such hoaxes risk inflaming divisions in a country where religious and ethnic tensions have long fueled violence.
The statement from the Sultan’s team also called on leaders across faiths to promote responsible online discourse, emphasizing that “safeguarding Nigeria’s unity and stability is a shared responsibility.”
