Dr. Muhammadu Jabbi Kilgori, a senior counselor in the Sultanate Council and Sa’in Kilgori, told Daily Trust that the rumors are untrue.

According to him, the Sultan of Sokoto is well and in Abuja for a formal engagement.

“It is fake news by some unscrupulous elements,” Kilgori stated. Their motivation is unknown to us. What they hope to accomplish by spreading false information against the Sultan is unknown to us.

However, the Sultan is healthy. I’m with him right now. Actually, we just departed Kaduna for Abuja, where the Sultan is attending yet another formal function.

“Since this story is untrue, let the general republic ignore it.”

Additionally, reports were refuted by a group called the Muslim Public Affairs Centre (MPAC).

“We would like to inform the Ummah and address recent baseless rumors regarding the purported death of His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III,” MPAC stated. We firmly declare that, thank God, the Sultan is still alive, healthy, and carrying out his noble duties as a spiritual leader to millions of people in Nigeria and beyond.

“We implore the public to ignore the false rumors and to continue being cautious when confirming news sources. The main purpose of such rumors is to mislead and divert. We will not allow misinformation to damage the Sultan’s name because of his vital leadership and commitment to advancing peace, unity, and Islamic values in Nigeria. May Allah keep our leaders safe and urge us all to appreciate and uphold the truth in every word and action.

Additionally, we see that the Sokoto State Government has previously called such claims “false” and rejected any plots to overthrow the Sultan. The public has been reassured by the government that the legislation governing the selection of the state’s traditional leaders has not changed.