20TH JANUARY, 2024
PRESS RELEASE:
MURIC SAYS ABDUCTION FOR
CHRIST MUST STOP
— Calls for stiffer
punishment for perpetrators
The Kano State Police
Command, on 27th December, 2023, said it had dismantled a human trafficking
syndicate that specialised in the abduction, buying, and selling of Muslim
minors. No fewer than nine suspects operating around Kano, Bauchi, Lagos,
Delta, Anambra, and Imo States, were arrested.
The syndicate that
specialises in abducting young Muslims from Kano and other northern states to
the Southern part of the country, renames, converts them to Christianity, and
sells them to others for slavery.
The unabated abduction
of Muslim minors has been condemned by an Islamic Human Rights group, the
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC). The group warned the perpetrators to stop
henceforth. The warning was contained in a statement made by the group's Kano
State Chapter Chairman, Malam Hassan Sani Indabawa, on Saturday, 20th January,
2024.
"This ugly trend
must stop. Everyone has to rise against it and Nigerian Muslims will no longer
condone a situation whereby Muslim minors are kidnapped, converted to
Christianity and sold out.
"It is also
worrisome to note the active role of the Church in siding and abetting the
alarming rise in abduction, stealing, kidnapping, selling of young Muslims and
thereafter converting them to Christianity and changing their names.
"This is
buttressed by the participation of some private orphanages, mainly operated by
Christians in a clandestine manner. Most of the discovered victims of this
devilish abduction are adopted by these unscrupulous orphanages who end up
converting the young Muslims to Christianity, in an apparently well planned and
aggressive evangelism.
"Recently, the
Gombe State Police Command had in collaboration with the Anambra State Police
Command, bursted a kidnapper’s den in an orphanage in Onitsha, Anambra State,
where they rescued 12 children while one Nkechi Odulye, the proprietor of the orphanage
was arrested by the police.
"These Christian
orphanages exploited the non existing policy on running and operating of
private orphanages in the entire Muslim dominated northern Nigeria, thus having
a field day on stalking and poaching of Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC). Whenever
exposed, they claimed to be helping the hapless OVC to have a better life by
providing them with shelter, food and education. Whereas the bottom line is to
bloat the Christian population.
"The case of a
private orphanage in Kano is the best illustration of abduction for Christ
hullabaloo. Kano State, alone, is yet to recover over 600 missing children from
these criminal syndicates.
"The Police and
agents of National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons
(NAPTIP) had on 25th December, 2019 raided Du Mercy Orphanage Home at
Nomansland, in Sabon Gari area, in Kano and apprehended the founder of the
orphanage, one Professor Solomon M. Tarfa, for illegally operating an orphanage
and rescued 27 children. The Orphanage has procured and adopted over 120 babies
since its inception in 1996.
"One Dr Chudi
Christopher Nwoye of Assumpta Clinic and Maternity was alleged to be procuring
babies and handing them over to Professor Tarfa and his wife. Assumpta Clinic
and Maternity has been operating in Kano, also for 30 years. Only God knows the
magnitude of atrocities committed by Dr Nwoye before he fled, escaping police
arrest.
"The proprietor
of the Orphanage, Professor Tarfa was thereafter arraigned on a three count
charge: abduction, kidnapping and forging of government document. He was found
to be dishonestly using, as genuine, a certificate of registration which he claimed
to have obtained from the Kano State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social
Development.
"During his
trial, Professor Tarfa had on 10th August, 2021, admitted under oath that,
'When I wanted to operate Du Mercy Orphanage I went to CAC and obtained
certificate of incorporation but I did not register with any relevant
authorities in Kano State.'
"But
surprisingly, Professor Tarfa mobilized several international and local
Christian groups and associations including CAN, by changing the narrative and
claimed to be facing 'religious persecution' from Kano State Government. He and
his collaborators declared Sabon Gari area as 'Christian district.'
"Several
Christian groups mounted pressure on both the federal and Kano state
governments as well as the judiciary. The pressure was for the trial judge to
drop all charges and discharge Professor Tarfa.
"The intense
pressure mounted by some Christian groups, conveniently ignored the criminal
allegations against Professor Tarfa for operating an illegal orphanage for
almost 30 years in Kano. The Christian groups that blindly lined behind
Professor Tarfa included the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN),
International Christian Concern (ICC), Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) UK,
CSW Nigeria,
US - Nigeria Law Group
and the Christian Social Movement, among others.
"However, the
presiding Judge remained steadfast and committed to dispensing justice by
treating the case on its own merit. Consequently, Professor Tarfa was convicted
on 4th March, 2022 and jailed for 2 years in a brilliant judgment that even
Professor Tarfa admitted to be 'just and transparent.'
"However, and
sadly, the Court of Appeal, on 27th January, 2023 discharged and acquitted the
Professor claiming lack of diligent prosecution. The respondent, for
inexplicable reasons, failed to file their respondent's brief, thus effectively
killing a good case.
The Kano State
Ministry of Justice should pay more attention to its personnel by ensuring that
such cases are prosecuted diligently.
"The Muslim
Rights Concern (MURIC) now asks, why did the Christian world rally behind
Professor Tarfa if he was not working for the church?
"Most worrisome
is the active collaboration of these illegal orphanages with Clinics like
Assumpta, where new born babies were procured and handed over to Professor
Tarfa and his wife. The Kano State Government and indeed other northern state
governments and every stakeholder must be worried about this development.
"We urge Kano
State Government and other state governments, as a matter of urgency, to come
up with policy on setting up of private orphanages. With the proliferation of
private orphanages, the authorities should produce operational guidelines for streamlining
the activities of such centers.
"The Nigeria
Police, NAPTIP, Hisbah, Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) and
Ministry of Women Affairs must keep vigilance on the activities of private
orphanages and clinics, such as Du Mercy Orphanage and Assumpta Clinic and
Maternity to ensure they comply with the rules and guidelines for operating
such orphanages and health care facilities.
"We similarly
call on wealthy Muslims, Islamic organizations and northern state governments,
especially Kano State Government, under the leadership of His Excellency,
Engineer Abba Kabir Yusuf, to show more concern and empathy in increased
funding, adoption and rehabilitation of Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC)
in the state.
"MURIC further
calls on the press to continue to expose these criminals for what they are,
noting that the press has an important role to play while eschewing
partisanship and sectionalism.
"Lastly, we call
on Muslim Lawyers Association of Nigeria (MULAN) and other Islamic
organizations to follow-up on all court cases of criminal abduction of Muslim
minors to ensure that justice is not only done, but also must be seen to have
been done by procuring stiffest punishment for Christian zealots, who abduct
Muslim minors for Christ."
Malam Hassan Sani
Indabawa,
Chairman,
Muslim Rights Concern
(MURIC),
Kano State Chapter.
Saturday, 20th
January, 2024
