18th October, 2019
PRESS RELEASE:
KANO 9: ET TU FFK? - MURIC
Ex-Minister of Aviation, Femi
Fani Kayode (FFK), on Monday, 14th October 2019 sought to downplay
the abduction of nine Muslim children who had been kidnapped, sold into slavery
and converted to Christianity. The children were abducted in Kano and taken to
Onitsha in Anambra State but were eventually rescued by the Kano Police Command.
Subsequent press statement
issued by the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) accused the abductors of kidnapping
the children for Christ. But FFK reacted by attributing the abduction to
criminality only and that it had nothing to do with religion.
Not satisfied with FFK’s
reaction, the Islamic human rights group on Friday, 18th October, 2019
rejected FFK’s pontifications and described them as misleading, deceitful and
unrealistic.
“We reject Femi Fani Kayode’s pontifications. It is misleading, deceitful
and unrealistic. FFK is playing Jekyll and Hyde. Why are all the kidnappers
Christians if it has nothing to do with Christianity? Why were all the victims
Muslims and why were the victims’ names changed from their original Muslim
nomenclatures?
“FFK has committed a
fundamental blunder. Was he not the one that came out with scud missiles
shelling mercilessly from all artillery machines in March 2016 over the Ese
Oruru imbroglio? There was nothing he did not say at that time. FFK should
listen to himself sometimes.
“Concerning the October 2019 issue
of kidnapping, conversion and sale into slavery of nine Muslim children whose
ages ranged between 4 and 10, FFK has this to say today: ‘Nobody kidnaps for
Christ…It has nothing to do with God. It is a human failing and not a religious
one.’
“Et tu FFK? Can you recall what you said in March 2016 concerning the
simple case of two lovers eloping? It was on the Ese Oruru controversy and you
linked it to the Emir of Kano. There is no gainsaying the fact that allusion to
the Emir tantamounts also to allusion to Islam. He is an undetachable symbol of
the Islamic faith.
“Now listen to yourself, ‘14 year old Ese
Oruru's mother claimed that her daughter’s abductors said that it was the Emir
of Kano himself that ordered her daughters abduction and that she was kept in
his palace for over one year for his pleasure.’
“Not done, you
launched another vitriolic attack on the Sultan of Sokoto in the same piece
when you wrote in the case of Patience Paul. ‘This time it is a young 17 year
old Christian girl, by the name of Miss Patience Paul, who has been abducted
from her home, parents and loved ones in Benue state, forcefully taken to
Sokoto state and kept there against her will in the Sultan's palace (https://www.pulse.ng/news/local/ese-oruru-emir-sanusi-should-tell-us-what-he-did-with-abducted-teenager-fani-kayode/pdtg2cc).
“Et tu FFK? You launched verbal halitosis against our revered
leaders in one single outburst but now it is no longer about religion. What
double standard! When it was Patience Paul you remembered it was about a ‘Christian
girl’. When it was about Ese Oruru you made defamatory and libelous statements
against our respected Emir of Kano.
“But when it
came to the turn of Christian kidnappers who actually went out of their way to baptize
Muslim kids to Christianity your integrity test failed you and it became a
non-religious issue. Now you are telling us ‘Nobody kidnaps for Christ’. You
can say that again. You have forgotten that what goes round comes around.
“By the way, what has FFK got to say about another
case of abduction of a 6-year-old Muslim boy, Ukashatu, who was kidnapped,
baptised and sold to Madam Christiana. Perhaps FFK will tell us that Christiana
is not a Christian name? Anyway, Madam Christiana gave Ukashatu a Christian
name, Michael. Ukashatu was not found until a few days ago. He is now Michael,
aged 14. (http://katsinapost.com.ng/2019/10/15/icymi-igbo-woman-abduct-6-year-old-boy-from-katsina-convert-him-to-michael/).
“Still, ‘Nobody
kidnaps for Christ’? But pray, what is the nexus between Ukashatu and Michael
if it is true that nobody kidnaps for Christ? FFK speaks with his tongue in his
cheek.
“The same FFK left the path
of profundities for that of banalities and threw courtesy and decency to the
winds to embrace vulgar and unprintable words in his vituperations against Akintola
over the BB Naija affair.
“In his own words, ‘Sheikh
Akintola wants @BBNaijafan banned because he is addicted to the show and each
time he watches it he has a loud, explosive and uncontrollable orgasm and fires
an accidental discharge into his pants. So much for being a pious and
disciplined scholar and cleric.’ (https://www.naijaloaded.com.ng/news/bbnaija-fani-kayode-blasts-muric-for-demanding-a-ban-on-the-reality-tv-show) We urge
Nigerians never to take FFK serious again.
“About three Kano-based
non-governmental organisations recently complained about the systematic and
sustained abduction of Muslim children by Christian groups from a certain part
of the country in the past ten years. FFK and his cohorts should therefore stop
defending the indefensible. They should leave the security agencies to do their
investigations.
MURIC advised
the ex-minister to be sincere.
“We advise FFK to be sincere in his dealings with Nigerians. Sincerity
is in admitting that the Christian abductors actually baptized the children but
that all Christians, including FFk, reject the conversion. That was what MURIC
did when the notorious Boko Haram insurgents claimed to have converted the
Chibok girls way back in 2014.
“We did not claim
that there was no attempt at forceful conversion to Islam. That would have been
deceitful. We came out openly and clearly at the time to reject the forceful conversion.
“For the
records, MURIC said in its press statement of 13th May, 2014, ‘We have no iota of doubt that the
girls ‘converted’ under duress. Such ‘conversion’ is null and void under the
Shari’ah. The Glorious Qur’an is very explicit in this regard as it says,
'There is no compulsion in religion…' (Laa ikrahun fii ad-diin” (Qur’an
2:256).
"We also sent a strong
message to Boko Haram, ‘A man who orders the invasion and kidnap of innocent
young girls is honour-blind. Shame on Boko Haram! Shekau has no modicum of
integrity left in his anatomy.’ In addition, we called the ‘purported’
conversion ‘cowardly and shameful’. We said conversion to Islam should be an
act of free will. We did not conjure that statement. It has been there for
the records since May 2014. See https://www.legit.ng/66203.html.
“FFK razzle-dazzles Nigerians
with his Islamisation and Fulanisation mirage. But he closes his eyes to Afeniferisation
and hobnobs with Igbonisation and Biafrisation. He sees religion in the Ese
Oruru and Patience Paul affairs. But he discards the Kano 9 saga as a mere
crime. To FFK, Christiana is not a Christian name and changing Ukashatu to
Michael is not Christianisation. FFK is a bundle of contradictions.
“FFK should realize that he is a
leader and a leader should lead responsibly. He should stop manifesting double
standards. Playing to the gallery, particularly using inflammatory statements
and double-speaking are not characteristics of responsible leadership.
Christians and Muslims in Nigeria share the same destiny and the leaders must
not steer that destiny towards ruination.
“In conclusion, we appeal to
Nigerians to always consider issues dispassionately. We should all reject and
expose the criminals in our midst. There should be no attempt to extenuate the crimes
of brothers-in-Christ or those of brothers-in-Islam. Crime is crime whether it
is committed by a Christian or by a Muslim. It has no other name. We must also
boldly and objectively reject attempts by fanatical Christians and Muslims in
our midst to seek conversion using fair and foul methods.”
Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)
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