21st August, 2025
PRESS RELEASE:
ISESE
DAY: IT IS THEIR RIGHT BUT THEY TOO MUST RESPECT RIGHTS OF OTHERS – MURIC
Traditionalists in the South West marked the Isese Day yesterday and they
seized the opportunity to ask the Federal Government to declare every 21st
and 22nd of August as national holidays.
Surprisingly, support for their demand
came from the most unexpected quarter, namely, an Islamic human rights group
called the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC). But the support came with a
conditionality, namely, that traditionalists must also respect the rights of
others by putting a stop to the declaration of illegal curfews, restricting the
movements of others, violation of the rights of women and the secret killing of
human beings for ritual sacrifice.
MURIC revealed its support and attached conditions
in a statement issued on Thursday, 21st August, 2025 by its Founder
and Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola.
The statement reads:
“Traditionalists in Yorubaland marked the
Isese Day yesterday, 20th August, 2025. They also used the opportunity
to ask the Federal Government to declare every 21st and 22nd
of August as national holidays.
“This
demand is just, legitimate and constitutional. In so far as the other two
religions enjoy the right, traditionalists also deserve it. Therefore, we have
no objection to their demand.
“It is only a selfish man who will eat
his fill and still stop others from eating. It is also only a fanatical
worshipper that will freely worship according to his own faith but will disallow
others from worshipping according to their own tastes.
“Islam teaches a philosophy of freedom of worship. The popular phrase ‘Lakun
diinukunm wa liya diiin’, i.e. ‘For you is your religion, and for me is my
religion’ (Glorious Qur’an 109:6) paraphrases the ideological stand of Islam on
freedom of religion.
“We therefore declare loud and clear that we support the demand of followers
of traditional religion for their own holidays to be known as Isese Day. Their
holiday has nothing to do with our religion. It does not disturb us and it does
not make us uncomfortable in any way. It is their own day of happiness. We
cannot stand in their way on this because we believe in the philosophy of ‘Live
and let live’.
“The classic
fable of the ‘dog in the manger’ reminds us of a dog which ate its fill in
terms of meat and bones but the same dog sat on a stack of hay and continued
barking at a hungry cow thereby preventing it from eating. Dogs do not eat
grass, yet this overfed dog will not allow a hungry cow to eat grass.
“This fable provides a perfect personification of the characteristics
of those who do not need Shari’ah (because they already have common law) but
will not allow the Muslims to practice Shari’ah. In the same vein, they will
not allow the Muslims to have Hijrah holiday yet they already have New Year holiday.
Neither will they allow Muslims to have a work-free Friday even though their
Sunday is always free.
“But
we cannot afford a tit for tat. As an Islamic human rights organization with a
vision to build a nation that respects Allah-given fundamental human rights of
all its citizens regardless of their religion, ethnicity or gender, we are duty
bound to support all legitimate demands that are based on fundamental human
rights regardless of their sources.
“Our vision of
Nigeria is that of a nation where people live together in peace and harmony, a
nation in which no one is oppressed, where every citizen enjoys Allah-given
fundamental human rights regardless of class, creed or ethnicity.
“We are middle-roaders and socio-intellectual jihadists fighting
corruption and extravagance, seeking freedom of worship for all, emancipation
for the oppressed, justice for the persecuted, jobs for the jobless, food for
the hungry, healing for the sick, clothing apparels for the naked and shelter
for the homeless. All these are part of principles of Islamic liberation
theology.
“That is why we will not be dogs in the manger like some people wish
to be. We will support the demand for Isese Day. But with a proviso. We
are attaching conditionalities to our support for the declaration of Isese Day
based on the legal principle of 'ex dolo malo non oritur actio', i.e. he
who comes to equity must come with clean hands.
“If the
adherents of Isese religion (also known as traditionalists) demand the recognition
or enforcement of their rights, they must first recognize and respect the
rights of others. They must remove all the skeletons in their cupboards. They
have come to equity. They must come with clean hands. They cannot eat their cakes
and still have it.
“In which case all
past infringements and encroachments on Allah-given fundamental human rights of
others by the same adherents of Isese must stop. Put more succinctly, there
shall be no more illegal curfews, no more unlawful restrictions of people’s
movements particularly during Oro festivals, no more infractions on the rights
of women, no more public flogging of innocent Nigerians by masquerades, no more
killing of humans for ritual sacrifices, etc.
“It is noteworthy that Isese followers in Yorubaland are serial
violators of people’s rights. They have always committed all the above crimes
during their own festivals whereas Muslims and Christians have never placed
restrictions on the general public either while worshiping or celebrating.
“We note with
serious concern that some state governments in the South West have already recognized
Isese Day by declaring yesterday, Wednesday, 20th August as a
holiday. That was rather hasty. We are certain that it was done without
consultation and without considering complaints of excesses and blatant
impunity lodged by stakeholders. They have forgotten that peace building is a
collective affair. The impunity of the Isese group has continued ad infinitum
because these state governments have never held the Isese group accountable.
“While there have been several complaints lodged against the excesses
of the traditionalists, the governments of the South West as well as the
security agents often ignored the complaints (https://theeagleonline.com.ng/no-to-oro-curfew-24-hours-to-salah-muric/;
https://dailypost.ng/2019/09/04/islamic-group-blows-hot-oro-cultists-impose-round-clock-curfew-ogun/;
https://theeagleonline.com.ng/muric-to-gov-abiodun-stop-illegal-oro-curfew-now-to-avert-bloodshed/;
https://www.legit.ng/nigeria/1590153-traditionalistsoro-worshippers-warn-lagosians-stay-indoor-of/).
“Chroniclers’ records are equally replete with internet links on
attacks launched by the same Isese adherents on Christians in their churches as
well as attacks on Muslims in their mosques (https://www.thecable.ng/one-dead-10-injured-as-traditionalists-clash-with-christians-in-lagos/;
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2023/04/four-injured-as-traditionalists-attack-worshippers-inside-mosque-2/;
https://www.herald.ng/drama-ogun-oro-worshipers/; https://pmnewsnigeria.com/2025/06/15/muric-condemns-masquerade-attack-on-mosque-calls-for-justice/).
“The records are
there. Internet does not tell lies. Traditionalists have been a main source of
concern on the probability of the outbreak of a major religious crisis in
Yorubaland. The above internet links prove it.
“We have shown
our readiness to support their demand for Isese Day, the onus is on them to
pledge to respect the fundamental human rights of others by stopping all their
excesses. We advise the Federal Government not to grant their demand for Isese
Day until they provide a written commitment on the above serial infringements. Isese
Day: to be or not to be? That is the question. The ball is in Isese’s court.”
#IseseDay
#AttachConditionalities
#SupportIseseDay
Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Founder/Executive Director,
Muslim
Rights Concern (MURIC)
