A Yoruba-speaking Islamic cleric identified as Shafiy Adeba has sparked controversy following remarks concerning Muslims, non-Muslims and religious conflict.
Reports circulating on Monday attributed inflammatory statements to Adeba in a video in which he allegedly made claims concerning Muslims’ treatment of non-Muslims and used derogatory religious terminology.
The comments have generated concern because of their potential to inflame religious tensions in a country where Christians and Muslims live across virtually every region.
Reports on the controversy said the cleric appeared to frame conflict with non-Muslims in religious terms and made claims about the treatment of people outside Islam.
The remarks have attracted attention amid a wider national debate over religious rhetoric, political identity and the use of inflammatory language in Nigeria’s public space.
Nigeria is a religiously diverse country, and inflammatory statements relating to faith have repeatedly generated public concern, particularly when they appear to encourage hostility towards people on the basis of religion.
The controversy also comes amid an increasingly charged political conversation over the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket and the role of religious identity in the 2027 elections.
Public figures including former minister Solomon Dalung and Nigeria’s ambassador to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode, have recently criticised comments attributed to Sheikh Yahaya Jingir regarding religious and political identity.
The latest controversy has therefore added to a broader conversation about the responsibility of religious leaders and public figures to avoid rhetoric capable of deepening division.