A viral Facebook video claiming that the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa'ad Abubakar III, declared that Northern Nigeria is not afraid of the country's separation has been debunked as false. The 16-second clip, posted by the page @CALID VOICE ECO on Sunday, June 7, 2026, bore the text: "We are not afraid of Nigeria breaking up. If Nigeria's Constitution guarantees it, let the Igbo go."
Viral Video and Public Reaction
The video's caption, written in pidgin, translated to a challenge: "If the North is not afraid, then release Nnamdi Kanu." By August 15, 2026, the post had accumulated approximately 996,000 views, 16,000 likes, 709 comments, and 1,400 shares, sparking heated debate in the comments section.
Reactions were sharply divided. @Iheanacho Lucas backed the claim, writing: "Why are you people afraid to let Igbos go? Better bow for them not to go." @Akinsanya Deborah added: "Igbo and Yoruba are going, biko Nigeria must break to let peace reign, I beg. If una not afraid, make them release Inamdi Kanu now." A dissenting voice, @Zakari Aliu, cautioned against the rhetoric, writing: "Your hatred and insults are too much. Watch out, please, for peace to rain!…"
Fact-Checking Investigation
Given the Sultan's profile and the statement's potential to inflame ethnic tensions, the fact-checking platform Dubawa launched a verification investigation on Thursday, August 27, 2026. An extensive Google search produced no evidence that the Sultan made any such remarks. What emerged instead were recent statements that pointed in the opposite direction.
In an August 8, 2026 report by The Cable, the Sultan spoke out against the alleged discrimination faced by minority Igbo Muslims in the south-east. Through a statement released by his media aide, Bashir Adefaka, the Sultan called on the federal government to prioritise nation-building efforts.
On Tuesday, August 18, 2026, the religious leader attended a lecture organised for journalists where he called for continued efforts to promote peace across the country, Voice of Nigeria noted. Separately, the Sultan had urged Christians and Muslims alike to stop insulting one another, insisting that both groups stand equal before God.
Official Denial from the Palace
Aminu Haliru, the Sultan's media and publicity officer at the palace, stated that the allegation was entirely without basis. "That isn't true. His Eminence would never make such a statement," Haliru said, describing the Sultan as a committed nation-builder who promotes peaceful coexistence among Nigerians regardless of their ethnic, religious, regional, or political backgrounds.
The claim is false. There is no credible evidence that the Sultan of Sokoto made any statement endorsing the break-up of Nigeria, nor is there evidence that he supported the departure of the Igbo from the Nigerian federation.
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that tributes poured in for Colonel AA Ude, a Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) officer of Igbo extraction who was killed after reportedly resisting an abduction attempt at his home in Abuja. The incident happened shortly after Ude returned to his residence at Phase 5, Army Housing Estate, Kurudu, on the outskirts of Abuja.
