A former Mayor of Blanco City in Texas, United States of America, Mike Arnold, has called on the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Abubakar III, to provide evidence to clear himself of his alleged involvement in what he described as ?jihad genocide? and widespread killings in the country.

But the Sultanate Council of Sokoto described Arnold?s statement as baseless and undeserving of a response, saying the Sultan would not dignify the accusations with a reply.

The row erupted after Arnold, the founder of Africa Arise International, published a string of social media posts accusing the Sultan of being complicit in mass killings and resource looting in parts of northern Nigeria.

The Sultan had earlier rejected claims that Christians were being subjected to genocide in the North, saying such allegations were false and divisive, and urged the people to verify social media reports.

The Sultanate Council later described the fresh attacks on the monarch?s reputation as baseless and said the Sultan would not dignify the claims with further response.

However, speaking with Saturday PUNCH, Arnold said available data and incidents across the northern part of the country suggested that the Sultan, being the spiritual and temporal head of more than 108 million Muslims, could not be entirely detached from the violent acts occurring ?under his nose.?

Arnold questioned what he called the Sultan?s ?silence and inaction? amid the wave of violent attacks and mass killings in the North, particularly those targeting Christian communities.

He said, ?The evidence points to there being an intelligent designer of this whole diabolical machine of jihad, genocide, conquest, displacement, and resource extraction. There are many provable data points, and I believe the points paint a picture that demands the Sultan be investigated for these things.

?I am not declaring him guilty, only a prime suspect based on all available evidence. The facts demand investigation and answers to either determine his guilt or clear him of it. Let?s hear his case.

?The Nigerian government estimates that at least $9bn a year in minerals are looted from his own hereditary lands. Why hasn?t he tried to stop this? He has powerful armed militias under his authority, does he not? So why aren?t the illicit miners being stopped? Who is getting that money??

The former Mayor also alleged that the Sultan had done little to address the rise of militant Fulani groups accused of carrying out numerous attacks, noting that while he once issued a fatwa against Boko Haram after the group challenged his authority, no similar action had been taken against Fulani militants.

?There have been more than 7,000 Christians massacred this year in his territory. If his own statement that no killing happens without traditional rulers knowing about it is true, then he knows more than anybody else,? Arnold said.

However, the Sultanate Council of Sokoto, while reacting through its Secretary, Alhaji Saidu Maccido, said the Sultan would not dignify the accusations with a reply, noting that both the Federal Government and the Nigerian Senate had already addressed the matter.

Maccido reaffirmed the Sultanate Council?s commitment to peace, unity, and national stability, urging Nigerians to ignore divisive and inflammatory narratives.

?The Sultan will not bring himself down to respond to such allegations again. The Federal Government has responded to the allegations, and I even recall that the Nigerian Senate also passed a resolution on it. Responding again will only make them feel important.

?The Sultanate Council remains focused on promoting peaceful coexistence, mutual respect, and truth. We will not be distracted by baseless accusations,? he added. (Saturday PUNCH)

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