President-General, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, has called for immediate cessation of violence and the opening of a humanitarian corridor for delivery of food and medical supplies to Gaza.
“Enough damage, destruction and deaths have been done already, and we wonder how many thousands of civilians have to die to assuage the cravings of bloodthirsty gladiators,” he said.
In a statement, signed by Deputy Secretary-General, NSCIA, Prof. Salisu Shehu, the Sultan said: “The savagery of the assaults is heart-rending. The horrendous attacks on civilians are unfortunate, and the Council calls for immediate cessation of hostilities against Gaza.”
He described the recent attack on Israel by Hamas as a ring in a long chain of incidents that should have been addressed, given that actions and reactions are always in a state of flux.
The statement reads in part: “We should also remember that Israel staged the coup against the democratically elected Hamas in Palestine. When people are pushed to the wall, they fight back. And that was what Hamas did. However, an all-out war and complete siege on two million defenseless people is atrocious, abhorrent and unjustified.
“The circumstances leading to the current escalation are well known to the discerning. It is because Israel has persistently failed to honour United Nations resolutions, implement the two-state solution of the Oslo Accord, and guarantee Palestinians’ economic and political security.
“The Israelis have rather imposed a most abhorrent colonial policy on the besieged enclave. They have also continued to treat Palestinians as sub-humans and made Gaza the largest open air prison in the world under the ungodly false mantra that Palestine was a land without people and Israelis were people without land.
“There should be no double standards regarding the enthronement of sustainable peace. While it is desirable to toe the path of peace, peace without justice would only precipitate future crises. It is very sad that world leaders only pay lip service to peace but are unwilling to enthrone justice in Israeli-Palestinian relations. Justice requires that oppressors be stopped and the oppressed comforted.”
