17th
July, 2022
PRESS RELEASE:
‘JUJU LAWYER’ GRASPING AT STRAWS – MURIC
Chief Malcolm Omirhobo,
the lawyer who recently dressed like a juju priest with a lawyer’s robe, has
declared that he does not hate Islam and that he is not a religious bigot. Omirhobo
was reacting to the allegation made in this regard by an Islamic human rights organisation,
the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC). In its own response, MURIC accused Omirhobo
of grasping at straws after boxing himself to a corner.
This was
contained in a statement issued on Sunday, 17th July, 2022, by the
director of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola.
The statement
reads :
“Chief Malcolm Omirhobo, the lawyer who
recently dressed like a juju priest with a lawyer’s robe, has declared that he
does not hate Islam and that he is not a religious bigot (https://newsbreak.ng/i-dont-hate-islam-not-a-religious-bigot-juju-lawyer-to-muric/).
“It will be
recalled that MURIC in an earlier statement accused Omirhobo of hating Islam
after appearing in a juju priest’s garb at the Supreme Court barely one week
after the highest court in the land ruled in favour of hijab. Omirhobo later
claimed that he does not hate Islam.
“Omirhobo can
say that to the marines. They may believe him. We don’t. No serious minded
Nigerian will believe him either. Omirhobo is grasping at straws after boxing
himself to a corner.
“You claim that you don’t hate Muslims or Islam but
you filed three cases against the interest of Islam and Nigerian Muslims within
a period of two years. You claim that you are not a religious bigot but as a
non-Muslim, you are championing hate-inspired cases.
“You also dressed like a lawyer cum juju priest
ostensibly to protest against a pronouncement of respected honourable justices
of the Supreme Court thereby subjecting the highest court in the land to
ridicule and infamy when, as a lawyer, you are in the best position to know
that a pronouncement of the Supreme Court can never be per in curiam
(i.e. reached in manifest error).
“This man filed
a suit against the Central Bank of Nigeria demanding the removal of Arabic from
the naira. He also filed another suit against the Nigerian Army demanding the
removal of Arabic from the logo of the Nigerian Army. Still not satisfied, he
instituted another matter against the Nigerian Police over the approval of
hijab for female Muslim policewomen.
“The last nail
in the coffin was his appearance in a lawyer cum juju priest garments in the
hallowed grounds of the Supreme Court apparently to cast aspersion on the
latter’s pronouncement on hijab. MURIC has merely used expressions, idiomatic
and otherwise, figurative and literal, that matched the actions of Omirhobo.
“It was Ian
Flemming, the famous author of the James Bond series who said, ‘Once is
happenstance. Twice is a coincidence. The third time is enemy action.’ Omirhobo
publicly manifested open animosity towards Nigerian Muslims, not once, not
twice, not even three times but four times. He should tell Nigerians the price
tag on hatred as displayed in his private supermarket.
“If it is true
that action speaks louder than voice, how can Omirhobo, in good conscience,
take these four Islamophobic actions and still claim that he doesn’t hate
Muslims and Islam? He has been ill-advised. The best option for him is to
withdraw all three cases filed by him against the interest of Islam and in open
opposition to the enjoyment of Allah-given fundamental human rights by Muslims.
“The picture of himself and the director of MURIC
which he now brandishes publicly as evidence of his love for Muslims cannot
exonerate him. Neither can it extenuate the allegation made by MURIC against
him. Pictures are not enough evidence of friendship or love. We have seen
avowed enemies sitting side by side in pictures.
“It should be
noted that this particular picture which Omirhobo is displaying all over the
world was taken within the premises of the Lagos High Court, Ikoyi, during the
hearing of the case filed by Omirhobo against Arabic on naira. MURIC members
were present in court as joiners and the picture was taken by those who
attended the sitting following gestures that we should take pictures together.
“This was done on the spur of the moment as a mark
of free-mindedness. If Omirhobo wants to prove that he is a friend of the
director of MURIC, he should provide other pictures taken with the director in
other places and wearing other dresses apart from the ones taken in court
premises. Not only that, he should provide evidence of a single phone call, a single
text message or a single whatshap chat between him and the director of MURIC.
“Omirhobo is
grandstanding. He could not challenge any of the points raised by MURIC against
him. For instance, he cannot deny that he has three anti-Arabic and anti-hijab
cases in court. These are established facts and the records are there. Omirhobo
cannot lead us by the nose.
“True to the maxim nemo judex in causa sua (one
cannot be a judge in his own case), he should not try to hoodwink us into
believing that he is a friend of Muslims. Friend indeed! He should please spare
us his cock and bull stories about his Muslim grandfather from Syria, his Muslim
girlfriend and Muslim neighbours. His
private relationship with some Muslims is not an excuse for his open display of
hatred against Muslims.
“All we can establish for now is that his
actions contradict his words. Omirhobo is advised to withdraw his anti-Muslim
cases from the courts. He should also desist forthwith from dragging the
hallowed name of the Supreme Court in the mud.
“As we draw the curtain on this advocacy, we affirm
that all that we have said about Omirhobo are
indisputable facts available in the public domain. Omirhobo claimed that he did
not hate Islam but he derived so much joy and passion in challenging anything
that has to do with Muslims and Islam.
“He
challenged Arabic writing on the naira, he challenged the right of female
Muslims and Muslim policewomen to use hijab. Also, he audaciously went ahead to
make a caricature of the Supreme Court pronouncement on hijab. So, MURIC has
only stated the obvious.”
Professor Ishaq
Akintola,
Director,
Muslim Rights
Concern,
(MURIC)
