Nigeria, one of the world’s most populous Muslim-majority countries, has called on the Islamic world to condemn the so-called Islamic State terrorist organisation.

The country’s vice-president told CNBC that in the long-run, the ideological battle against the Islamic State (also known as ISIS or Daesh) was more important than the military one.

“Of course we must contain them militarily, that’s absolutely important because they are a military force. But I think more important, and going forward, is ideological. We have to deal with the ideological issues and (Nigeria’s) President Buhari has simply called on Muslim leaders all over the world to speak out against the Islamic State and fundamentally attack that evil ideology,” Yemi Osinbajo told CNBC on Friday from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Nigeria’s population is split fairly evenly between Christians and Muslims, although the Islamic populace is seen becoming proportionately larger over time.

The country faces a major struggle against Islamist terrorists, with the Boko Haram group claiming allegiance to ISIS and operating mainly in Nigeria. In the first nine months of 2015, Boko Haram killed 3,500 civilians across Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger, according to Amnesty International.

Islamist terrorism is of rising concern to the world, however, with the West launching airstrikes on ISIS strongholds in Syria and Iraq. This follows attacks by the jihadists across the globe, targeting both majority Christian and Islamic populaces, including those in Jakarta, Paris and Istanbul.

ISIS has reaped havoc and misery in Syria in particular, making refugees of swathes of the populace. The United Nations registered 4.6 million Syrian refugees as of Tuesday, with the majority in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan. (CNBC)

•Photo shows Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo.

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