Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, has stressed the need to prioritise welfare programmes, regular financial support, and empowerment initiatives for widows of fallen heroes, saying such initiatives are vital to recognising the members of the armed forces who risked their lives to secure the nation.

Speaking at a dedicated Jumat Service to mark this year’s 2026 Armed Forces Celebration and Remembrance Day, celebrated every January 15, the deputy governor appealed to the Lagos State Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, to channel its efforts towards providing support to the vulnerable widows of the armed forces.

He expressed concern over the repeated portrayals of Muslims as terrorists in global political discourse, noting that Islam preaches peace and doesn’t support terrorism.

According to him, “If you are doing anything that hurt another fellow, you are not a Muslim. The Qur’an is very clear on this that if you hurt a person, it is like hurting a whole community. So you can’t be a Muslim and sustain injury on people.”

He urged the Muslim leaders to project positive things about the religion, by delivering lectures that counter the negative narrative about the misgivings of the religion.

Earlier, the Imam who led the Jumat prayer, Saheed Ahmad, said that security is a duty of collective responsibility and must not be restricted to the security outfits alone.

He said: “The security challenge we are facing today is a duty of all and not restricted to the men and women in uniform. If each and every one of us is taking upon ourselves to act, speak, and interact within ourselves in a safe and secure manner, each of those individuals who act in such ways will be one less problem for the security outfits to want to worry about. For every God-fearing law-abiding citizen of the country, that is one less potential criminal for the forces to worry about.”

He paid tribute to men and women of the armed forces who laid down their lives to ensure the safety of every Nigerian, noting that they deserved prayers and divine reward for their service.

He, however, cautioned against spreading rumours and unverified information, warning that such actions are capable of undermining public safety.