The Secretary-General of the Muslim World League, Sheikh Dr Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, has arrived in Abuja ahead of a major international conference on security and interfaith unity billed to hold in the Federal Capital Territory this week.

Al-Issa’s visit is tied to the International Conference on National Security for Sustainable Socio-Economic Development, organised jointly by the Jama’atu Izalatil Bidiah wa Iqamatis Sunnah, popularly known as JIBWIS Nigeria, and the Muslim World League.

The event, themed “Diversity and Peaceful Coexistence Among People,” is scheduled to run from August 11 to 13 at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja, and will bring together Islamic scholars, policymakers, security experts, traditional rulers and international delegates to examine Nigeria’s security challenges within a broader global context.

President Bola Tinubu is expected to formally declare the conference open, with the event placing particular focus on the persistent threats of kidnapping and banditry confronting the country.

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, will serve as the Royal Father of the Day, while state governors, federal lawmakers, ministers, traditional rulers and captains of industry are also expected to attend. Beyond the security discussions, the gathering will feature sessions on promoting unity among Muslims across different sects, strengthening ties across Nigeria’s ethnic and religious lines, and reinforcing peaceful coexistence between Muslims and adherents of other faiths.

The organisers describe the partnership between JIBWIS Nigeria and the Muslim World League as an extension of previous engagements between Muslim and Christian leaders in the country, aimed at demonstrating that religious and cultural diversity can serve as a foundation for national unity rather than division.

The conference will close with a national preaching session at the JIBWIS headquarters in Utako, Abuja, with participants expected to depart the capital afterward.

Al-Issa, who has led the Muslim World League since 2016, has built a reputation as one of the most prominent global voices for interfaith dialogue, having engaged with religious and political leaders from the Vatican to Auschwitz-Birkenau in his push against religious extremism worldwide.

His presence in Abuja adds an international dimension to a gathering that Nigerian organisers hope will strengthen dialogue around the country’s security and religious unity challenges.