The National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, has called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of Sheikh Sani Jingir, over alleged hate speech and incitement to religious hatred in a viral video.
The commission said the cleric’s remarks, made on Sunday ahead of the 2027 general elections, amounted to a dangerous attempt to mobilise Nigerians along religious lines.
Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Chief Tony Ojukwu, said the commission watched the video with grave concern, accusing Jingir of canvassing religiously exclusive politics and referring to non-Muslims as “infidels” while urging his supporters to obtain voter cards to “show their limit.”
Ojukwu said such comments violated the principles of equality, non-discrimination and peaceful coexistence guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution and Nigeria’s international human rights obligations.
“The Commission finds these remarks to be hate speech and incitement to religious hatred and potential violence. At a time when we are preparing for another general election, such utterances are reckless and dangerous. They serve no purpose other than to divide Nigerians along religious lines and set citizens against one another,” the Executive Secretary stated.
He warned that failure to respond decisively to such statements could encourage other influential figures, including religious leaders, to escalate inflammatory rhetoric as the 2027 elections draw closer.
“We cannot afford to look away. If we fail to speak and act now, we embolden both Christian and Muslim clerics and other influential persons to make worse statements in the coming months. That path leads only to crisis,” he added.
The commission consequently called on the Inspector General of Police, the Director General of the Department of State Services, DSS, and other relevant authorities to immediately arrest and prosecute Jingir for hate speech and incitement.
It also insisted that any prosecution should proceed irrespective of the cleric’s status or political affiliation, arguing that such action would serve as a deterrent to others seeking to exploit religion for political gain during the election period.
Ojukwu, who is also Nigeria’s Chief Human Rights Officer, urged religious leaders, traditional rulers and politicians to shun divisive rhetoric and called on Nigerians to reject identity politics.
He said voters should instead judge political leaders on the basis of competence, service delivery and respect for human rights.
“The Commission will continue to monitor compliance and will engage with security agencies, INEC, and civil society to ensure that the 2027 elections are free from hate and violence”, he concluded.
