Speaking in Auchi, Edo State at the closing ceremony of the 29th National Quranic Recitation, the emir said the first responsibility of the state was to protect lives and property of its citizens or it loses the basis for its existence.
"Insurgents’ takeover of some areas in Borno, killing about 2000 people in Baga is a sign that the Nigerian state is weak. But we can’t keep quiet while people are being killed, we must fight to make sure our religion is not distorted but the state must protect us," he said.
Calling on government to defeat Boko Haram, Sanusi said Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states or any other parts of the country still under the deadly sect must be liberated.
Noting that it is the duty of government to protect lives and property of its citizens, Sanusi however called on the people to stop running from the terrorists whom he said were projecting Islamic religion in an ungodly manner.
"If your enemy comes to attack you and you run away, Allah will not help you," he said while calling on Muslims to defend themselves against terrorists. He therefore commended the people who killed the terrorists who attacked the Jumat Mosque in Kano last year.
Sanusi said, "It is extremely important that we looked at the Qur’an which provides the most noble of behaviours and character".
He argued that selling freeborn into slavery, kidnapping of young girls and rape was un-Islamic, addding, "Muslim leaders must speak up or we are guilty of complicity".
Meanwhile, Cameroon has said Chad will send a large contingent of troops to help it fight incursions from Boko Haram. The announcement came a day after Chad said it would "actively support" its neighbour against the militants.
No detail was given about how many troops would be sent, or when.
A French-led initiative has called for Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad to contribute 700 troops each to a multinational force against Boko Haram, but no country has taken steps to implement the plan.
Chad previously had some troops based in Baga, a Nigerian town seized by Boko Haram earlier this month, but they had been withdrawn before the attack.
Niger and Cameroon have both criticised Nigeria for failing to do more to confront Boko Haram.
The decision by Chad to send troops is a sign of progress in a region where there has been little cooperation in the battle against Boko Haram.
Under French pressure, the countries immediately threatened by the militants agreed last year to strengthen the multinational force in Baga.
But just months later Chad and Niger instead withdrew their troops entirely.
It appears that Nigeria's neighbours are suspicious of its inability to defeat Boko Haram, at a time when Nigerian politicians appear more focused on campaigning for elections next month than on security issues, and senior figures rarely comment on the insurgency in the north-east.
Some believe that Chad is only now waking up to the reality that unless it takes action, Boko Haram may consume it too.
