Tinubu Tells Religious Leaders Interfaith Dialogue Is Only Sustainable Path to Security

President Bola Tinubu told religious leaders gathered at a national summit on Saturday, July 12, 2026, that interfaith dialogue remained the only sustainable path to addressing Nigeria’s security challenges and strengthening national unity, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to inclusive governance that respected the country’s diverse religious and ethnic identities.

The President’s engagement with religious leaders came in the same week that the Oyo rescue delivered a rare national moment of unity, after weeks of political division over the government’s handling of the abduction crisis. Tinubu used the occasion to thank faith communities for their prayers and moral support during the crisis and to renew his call for religious institutions to serve as voices of peace and reconciliation in their communities.

President Draws on MKO Legacy

Tinubu invoked the memory of MKO Abiola and the June 12 democratic struggle as a reminder of what Nigerians could achieve when they united across religious and ethnic lines for a common purpose. He said the rescue of the Oyo abduction victims showed what security forces could deliver when given the right resources, intelligence, and political support.

Religious leaders at the summit, including representatives of the Christian Association of Nigeria and the Jama’atu Nasril Islam, praised the Oyo rescue but renewed their calls for stronger government action on the broader insecurity crisis, including the Plateau State killings, Zamfara elder abductions, and the Kaduna communal violence. CAN president Pastor Samuel Oladele said prayers alone were insufficient and that government must match spiritual support with operational security improvements.

Sultan Separately Meets Makinde

Meanwhile, the Sultan of Sokoto separately met Governor Seyi Makinde in Ibadan to express personal congratulations over the Oyo rescue and to reinforce support for continued collaborative security efforts between the traditional institution and the state government. The Sultan had been publicly vocal about the need for justice and accountability in the Maraban Jos mob killing case in Kaduna. Furthermore, Kwankwaso welcomed the Oyo rescue while reminding the government that schoolchildren remained in captivity in Borno State. Consequently, even as Tinubu sought to use the interfaith summit to project a message of national healing, the unresolved security crises across multiple states continued to define the political environment.