The monarch made the assertion when a delegation from the Muslim community in Tafawa Balewa paid him a courtesy visit in Sokoto.
He maintained that the crisis would only continue to aggravate the problems of underdevelopment, poverty and retrogression in the area.
“This ethno-religious crisis had raged between the Muslim and the Sayawa communities for decades and we are happy now that all the two sides are yearning for the amicable resolution to the crisis.
“God has created us together, with diverse religious and ethnic background not to disunite us but to be formidably united.
“So, leaders must be just to their followers, while the followers must be respectful and law abiding, as we all have rights to worship God the way we want,’’ he said.
He noted that a delegation of the Sayawa Christian community from the area had recently paid a similar visit to him in order to seek for urgent intervention, with a view to finding a lasting solution to the problem which had truncated peace, unity and development in the area since 1953.
The monarch expressed happiness that both the Muslim and Christian communities in the area were now seeking for a lasting peace.
The Sultan urged the two sides to continue to be patient and fervently prayerful, saying dialogue was the best solution to all problems.
Earlier, the leader of the delegation and the District Head of Tafawa Balewa, Alhaji Suleiman Muhammad, who spoke through Prof. Salisu Shehu, commended the Sultan for his efforts in entrenching peace and unity in the country.
“We felt that as law abiding citizens and God-fearing persons, we have to come and complain to the Sultan who is the Spiritual Head of the Muslims in the country.
“This is to seek his urgent intervention with a view to finding a lasting solution to the problem which had virtually defied all previous solutions,” he stated.
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