MURIC LAUDS ANTI-AMOTEKUN PROTEST

19^th March, 2020

          

PRESS RELEASE:

MURIC LAUDS ANTI-AMOTEKUN PROTEST

An Islamic human rights organization, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has lauded youths who recently protested against Operation Amotekun. The youths, under the aegis of the Yoruba Appraisal Group (YAG) led by Chief Oloketuyi Joshua, organized a massive rally and commenced their procession from Women Development Centre in Agege down to Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja. The rally took place on Thursday, 12^th March, 2020.

MURIC’s endorsement of the protest was expressed in a press statement issued on Thursday, 19^th March 2020 by its director, Professor Ishaq Akintola.

“It is very clear now that the Amotekun initiative has been hijacked by ethnic jingoists. The protest by the Yoruba Appraisal Group (YAG) has exposed the tribal charlatans and ethnic demagogues in Yorubaland. It is now very clear that those camouflaging as lovers of Yorubaland are only after their personal gains. They pander to the passion of innocent Yorubas. Not only that, they are pursuing a balkanisation agenda. They neither love Yorubaland nor Nigeria.

“Only a fool will oppose the reform of Nigeria’s security architecture in view of several lapses. But breaking up the country is not the solution. Some looters among the Yoruba who are facing prosecution in the law courts are behind the incitement of the Yoruba against the Federal Government (FG). They want to cause confusion before the long arm of the law can reach them. They believe that the only escape route for them is for the Yoruba enclave to be expunged from the Nigerian entity after which they can no longer be prosecuted.

“This is why they are aggressively promoting non-existent ideologies of fulanisation and Islamisation. We contend that these are sheer myth, phantom and ordinary mirage. We appeal to well-meaning Yoruba leaders not to allow these hawks to railroad them into destabilising the country.

“We call on the governors of the South West to be wary of agent provocateur and advocatus diaboli among the major dramatis personae of the Amotekun initiative. Security is good but not when some have hidden agenda against a section of the country, a particular religion and certain individuals.

“Exempli gratia, the former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, threatened in one of his notorious tweets that they knew where to keep people like Akintola when the Oduduwa project is completed. We believe he was referring to Muslim leaders in Yorubaland who dare to promote Islam and not Akintola alone. Another yet to be identified Amotekun enthusiast called for the assassination of the same Akintola. Again, A Yoruba group, the Apapo Oodua Koya (AOKOYA), told the former Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi who is currently in Lagos, to go back to the North. These threats have not been withdrawn and nobody has been arrested. What is most worrisome is the silence of Yoruba leaders in the face of these threats.

“It is therefore evident that certain extremist groups and individuals nurse diabolical ideas which they intend to actualise via Amotekun and the more the governors look, the less they see. It is unfortunate that the governors of the sub-region have danced to the gallery in the euphoria of regionalism. We corroborate the fear of last week’s protesters (YAG) who alleged that Amotekun is an instrument to perpetrate crime and make political gains for a few individuals masquerading as having the love of the people of the region at heart. We add that Amotekun is seen by some kleptomaniacs as a means of escaping justice having colluded with other thieves from other regions to steal Nigeria dry.

“It is not too late however. Early changes will save Yorubaland from the clutches of ethnic demagogues. We therefore call for a review of the security initiative before recruitments begin. In particular, we advise against the appointment of die-hard Yoruba nationalists and activists in the top echelons of the security outfit. This class of people will only bring prejudice against particular tribes into the system. We insist that real professionals like retired army and police officers should be allowed to handle the recruitments as well as post-recruitment command centres.

In conclusion, we join the Yoruba Appraisal Group (YAG) in calling upon FG and the Inspector General of Police to exercise caution over the request of the Amotekun camp for arms. There is need for FG to sample the opinion of Muslim leaders in the region.

As for now, Amotekun has become the sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of innocent citizens residing in the South West and critics of Amotekun are being labelled traitors and threatened with death. There is every reason to believe that Amotekun may become a real terror in the land, worse than kidnappers and robbers. Therefore, a gun-brandishing amotekun may be the last nail in the coffin of a united Nigeria.

Professor Ishaq Akintola,    

Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)

FIND URGENT SOLUTIONS TO PIPELINE EXPLOSIONS - MURIC

17^th March, 2020

          

PRESS RELEASE:

FIND URGENT SOLUTIONS TO PIPELINE EXPLOSIONS - MURIC

Sequel to the pipeline explosion which rocked Lagos on Sunday, 15^th March, 2020, an Islamic human rights organization, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has called on the Federal Government (FG) and the National Assembly (NASS) to find urgent solution to constant pipeline explosions in Lagos State. It will be recalled that series of explosions occurred in Abule Ado, a Lagos suburb, on Sunday killing at least 15 persons and injuring several others. About 50 buildings, including a school, were completely destroyed.

The appeal for solutions to regular pipeline explosions which have become a recurring decimal was made on Tuesday, 17^th March, 2020 in a press statement issued by the director of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola.

The statement reads:

“The incidence of pipeline explosions in Lagos has become perennial. Lagosians are dying daily in their hundreds from constant pipeline explosions. Properties worth billions of naira are lost to deafening explosions and uncontrollable conflagrations.

“The long history of pipeline explosions and its regimented repetition make it mandatory on both FG and the NASS to find an urgent solution to it. We call attention to the status of Lagos as Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre. This can drive away foreign investors who are already established in Lagos as well as discourage prospective foreign investors. Nobody wants to sink money in an endangered zone.

“The list of explosions and their frequency in Lagos are frightening. More than 300 people were killed in Abule Egba when a pipeline exploded during vandalisation on 26^th December, 2006. A bulldozer which struck an oil pipeline caused another huge conflagration that led to about 100 deaths in Ijegun on 15^th May, 2008. Fifteen houses and 20 vehicles were destroyed.

“Another oil pipeline vandalisation mishap killed several people in Abule Egba on 30^th June, 2009. Baruwa area of Alimosho had its own taste of large scale death and destruction due to the same reason on 5^th December, 2019. Many people were killed. Again on 19^th January, 2020, five fatalities were reported and several properties destroyed when oil pipeline vandals caused another explosion in Ekoro area of Abule Egba.

“The latest explosion at Abule Ado on Sunday, 16^th March 2020 in which 15 people were killed while 50 houses were destroyed is one calamity too many. This carnage must stop.

“MURIC appeals to FG to take drastic actions against pipeline vandals. We suggest the creation of an anti-vandalisation unit in any of the security agencies similar to the anti-terrorism and anti-kidnapping units already in existence.

“Our message to Lagos lawmakers in the NASS is this: How many Lagos lawmakers have deemed it fit to visit the scene of the latest fire incident? Who is going to comfort the victims? Where will they sleep? How will they feed? Kudos to Lagos State government for doling out N2 billion for immediate relief but where are the people’s representatives at the federal level?  

“Why is Nero dancing while Rome is burning? Your constituency is burning while you stand akimbo. We want to hear your voices on the floors of the Red and Green chambers. You must speak up for Lagos. You are not there for yourselves but for Lagosians. Cry out loud until the mountains, the hills and the valleys echo your voices. Lagos must not burn down.

“Nobody should tell us it cannot happen. London was almost completely razed down by a fire which burned for five whole days from 2^nd September to 6^th September, 1666. The fire started in the King’s bakery in Pudding Lane, near London Bridge. It destroyed four-fifth of the whole city. 13,000 houses went down and King Charles II had hundreds of thousands of homeless people on his hands. This must not be allowed to happen in Lagos. It will be the worst humanitarian disaster in Africa for decades.

“We charge residents to give information about oil pipeline vandals to security operatives. Every citizen must be a self-appointed policeman because security is every man’s business. The dogma in security circles is ‘Keep quiet and lose everything, including your life’.

“We warn oil pipeline vandals against excessive drive for materialism. Greed leads to self-destruction. The Glorious Qur’an urges men to stop running after money and properties. The Qur’an asks rhetorically whether man thinks that money can make him live forever (104:1 – 3). Even the Bible advocates self-satisfaction and reliance on God: ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will wear…’ (Mathew 6:25).    

“Finally, we appeal to FG for a special relief package for victims of Sunday’s disaster. The Lagos State government has graciously released N2 billion as an initial relief fund. As the father of all, Lagosians are waiting for FG’s special intervention.”

Professor Ishaq Akintola,    

Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)

MURIC FAULTS OODUA GROUP ON SANUSI

16^th March, 2020

          

PRESS RELEASE:

MURIC FAULTS OODUA GROUP ON SANUSI

A Yoruba socio-cultural group, the Apapo Oodua Koya (AOKOYA) on Sunday 15^th March, 2020, asked deposed Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, who arrived Lagos on Saturday, to return to the North (https://thesourceng.com/oodua-group-asks-sanusi-to-return-to-the-north-says-presence-in-lagos-plot-to-build-fulani-emirate-in-yorubaland/).

Sanusi was deposed on Monday, 9^th March, 2020 by the Governor of Kano, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje. He was thereafter banished to Awe in Nasarawa State. An Abuja court on Friday 13^th March, 2020 quashed his banishment and he moved to Lagos immediately.

Meanwhile an Islamic human rights organization, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has faulted the stand of AOKOYA. MURIC described AOKOYA’s position as mean, callous and inhuman. The Muslim group made this known in a statement circulated on Monday, 16^th March, 2020 by its director, Professor Ishaq Akintola.

“We are perturbed by the position of Apapo Oodua Koya. They are asking the deposed Emir who took refuge in Lagos to go back to the North. It is mean, callous and inhuman. That statement is egregious, detestable and nauseating. It smirks of heartlessness, intolerance and gymnastic irredentism. Worse still, it stands in contradistinction to the concept of Omoluabi (meaning well trained in good morals) of which the Yoruba have been well known for ages.

“We remind those behind AOKOYA that Yorubas are equally scattered across Nigeria. They should be wary of actions and utterances capable of inciting other tribes against the Yoruba in other places. This is the time for Yoruba leaders to caution extremist groups in their midst.

“AOKOYA also claimed that the ex-Emir was in Lagos to establish another Fulani Emirate in Yorubaland. Nothing could be more laughable. It is kindergarten, base and pedestrian reasoning. As an intellectually endowed race in this country, we expect that the Yoruba do not need to appeal to primordial sentiments. They are above it. They should therefore purge themselves of elements capable of whipping up irrational, illogical and unacceptable ideas.

“We also remind people in the South West in particular and across Nigeria in general that Section 41 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria guarantees freedom of movement as well as freedom to reside in any part of the country.  The section says, ‘Every citizen of Nigeria is entitled to move freely throughout Nigeria and to reside in any part thereof, and no citizen of Nigeria shall be expelled from Nigeria or refused entry thereto or exit therefrom’

“We therefore call on the government of Lagos State to provide adequate security and comfort for the former emir just as it has always done for all its citizens. We advise the Yoruba group to distance itself from acrobatic xenophobia and to learn the arts of courtesy, civility and kindness. It must add a human face to activism. We have no scintilla of doubt that no true Omoluabi will reject a guest in a period of travail.

“The Yoruba race is one of the most accommodating on the African continent. This informs the popular Yoruba proverb ‘Oju alejo ni a ti nya owo, eyin re la nsan’, meaning, we can borrow money in the presence of a guest (to entertain him) and pay back after he has left. This proverb provides indisputable testimony to the uncommon hospitality of the Yoruba race. Yoruba leaders of today must not allow merchants of aggravated ethnicity to tarnish this good image.”

Professor Ishaq Akintola,    

Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)

POSTPONE NYSC CAMP OVER CORONA VIRUS – MURIC

11^th March, 2020

          

PRESS RELEASE:

POSTPONE NYSC CAMP OVER CORONA VIRUS – MURIC

Authorities of the National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) on Sunday 8^th March, 2020 told youth corpers not to panic over the Corona virus outbreak around the world. According to the NYSC, certain preventive measures have been put in place to prevent any outbreak of the virus in its 37 orientation camps scattered nationwide. The exercise for Batch A 2020 takes off in about a week’s time.      

But an Islamic human rights group thinks otherwise. In a statement distributed to the media by its director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, on Wednesday, 11^th March, 2020, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), expressed doubts over the wisdom behind the resolve of the NYSC to carry on with the orientation exercise in the face of worldwide outbreaks.

“Available records show that Corona Virus which originated in Wuhan, China, has killed more than 4,000 people and infected over 116,000 across the world. The US alone has reported 14 deaths and about 240 cases of infection. An exercise that attracts about 350,000 Nigerian graduates annually deserves more caution.

“While we agree that the outbreak is not the fault of NYSC officials, we insist that the planning of the orientation camps should take into cognisance the reality on ground. To be on the safe side, the exercise should be postponed by one or two months. We are talking of 350,000 skilled Nigerians. These are our children. They are the hope of this country. We should not put their lives at risk.  

“Events are being postponed across the world. Saudi Arabia, a highly conservative country, saw wisdom in halting its annual Umrah (lesser pilgrimage). The Dalai Lama has canceled all future public events indefinitely due to the outbreak. FIFA has postponed the Asian qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup. Matches are being played in Europe without spectators. Also, the World Athletics Indoor Championships will be postponed until 2021 because of the outbreak. South by Southwest (SXSW), an annual media festival in Austin, Texas, was canceled five days ago (March 6) due to the outbreak. NYSC cannot afford to be too clever by one.

“While we commend the Federal Government (FG) for steps taken so far to curtail the spread of the novel virus, we warn that an assemblage of youths across the nation who are expected to stick together all day for one whole month is too dangerous at this point in time. We should not be deceived by the fact that only two infections have been reported so far. A stitch in time saves nine. Any mishap will be blamed on the FG. We therefore suggest an immediate suspension of all preparations for the 2020 Batch A orientation exercise in the interest of public safety until the coast is clear.”

Professor Ishaq Akintola,    

Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)

STATEMENT BY THE ALLIANCE FOR THE PROTECTION OF YORUBA MUSLIMS (APYM): WE ARE WITH MURIC, AKINTOLA IS NOT A TROUBLE-MAKER

The press statement below was issued by fifteen (15) Islamic organisations in reaction to false allegations recently made against Professor Ishaq Akintola and his organization, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), by a faceless ‘Islamic’ organization. 

ALLIANCE FOR THE PROTECTION OF YORUBA MUSLIMS (APYM)

RESPONSE TO VERBAL ATTACKS ON

PROFESSOR AKINTOLA AND MURIC

9^th March, 2020.

PRESS RELEASE

WE ARE WITH MURIC, AKINTOLA IS NOT A TROUBLE-MAKER

Our attention has been drawn to a press statement which was published on 29^th January, 2020 and credited to a self-styled National Coordinator of a faceless Coalition of Progressive Yoruba Islamic Groups in which one Mukhtar described our brother, Prof. Ishaq Akintola as “an extremist and a sadist” (https://www.naijanews.com/2020/01/29/muslim-groups-roast-muric-boss-over-comments-on-amotekun/; https://advocate.ng/2020/01/muslim-groups-roast-muric-boss-over-comments-on-amotekun/).  

We are abashed by the gargantuan ignorance of Mukhtar Okunade who was not only beclouded by ethnic sentimentality but also writing a script for some faceless groups in defaming the character and personality of a renowned Professor of Islamic Studies.

We categorically disown this statement. We know Akintola as an erudite Islamic scholar, Professor of Islamic Studies, a human rights activist and Director of Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC). We call the attention of Nigerians to the anomalies in the statement issued by the fake coalition.

Firstly, only one person issued the statement because the name of only one person was mentioned (one faceless and unknown Mukhtar Okunade). How can only one person write for a coalition of organisations? Who are the other Muslims in the group and which Islamic organisations are in the coalition? We contend that even the so called ‘Mukhtar Okunade’ may not exist. If he really exists, we challenge him to walk into the secretariat of the Muslim Ummah of South Western Nigeria (MUSWEN) and simply introduce himself.

Secondly, although the writer claimed he was writing on behalf of the so called Coalition of Progressive Yoruba Islamic Groups, he failed to mention the names of the Islamic groups who formed the ‘coalition’. He could not even mention a single Islamic organization in the coalition. This is very strange and it raises serious doubts about the genuineness of the allegations made against Professor Akintola. To that extent, therefore, the ‘coalition’ is a fraud used by fraudsters to attack and discredit a reputable international scholar and a social crusader of the caliber of Professor Ishaq Akintola.

If this fake ‘coalition’ has no members and they cannot come out in the open to mention the Islamic organisations that form the group, we hereby mention the names of Islamic organisations that are in our own Alliance for the Protection of Yoruba Muslims (APYM). 

Our alliance includes the National Council of Muslim Youth Organisations (NACOMYO), Federation of Muslim Women Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN), Muslim Students Sociaty of Nigeria (MSSN), The Muslim Congress (TMC), Muslims in National Development (MIND), Muslim Public Affairs Center (MPAC), Markaz al-Dawah, Risalatul Haq Dawah Society International, Association of Muslim Crosscheckers of Nigeria, Jama’at Taawunil Muslimeen, Federation of Ahlu Sunna of Nigeria, etc.

We are fifteen (15) different Islamic organisations and we are all well known in South West Nigeria. Also, we are all Yoruba indigenes. In addition, the names of the leaders of all the fifteen organisations are mentioned below as signatories to this press statement. The difference will be very clear if this statement of ours is compared to the one issued by the fake coalition which attacked Professor Akintola. Fifteen credible and well-known Muslim leaders signed this statement whereas only one name is mentioned in the statement of the fake coalition. Again, the names of the fifteen Islamic organisations that formed this alliance are mentioned here whereas the names of the Islamic organisations who formed the fake anti-Akintola coalition were not mentioned. Who is lying then? Who is engaging in fraud?

We stand in solidarity with MURIC and its director, Professor Ishaq Akintola. We are also aware of threats to assassinate Professor Akintola. We are not violent people but we will ensure that anybody who attacks Akintola faces the full wrath of the law because we are not going to sit down idly watching enemies of Islam attack a true defender of our faith. We are watching the situation. We appeal to the law enforcement agencies to do everything within their power in maintaining law and order. Nothing must happen to Akintola or any of his aides.

The allegation made by the fake coalition that Akintola wanted to destabilize Yorubaland and cause crisis in Nigeria is baseless and unfounded. It is well known that the motto of MURIC is “Dialogue, Not Violence”. Also, the group has never engaged in any violent act, instead, it has always worked for a better Nigeria since its inception in 1994. MURIC has always promoted a united Nigeria. The human rights organization has also been consistent in its support for the war against corruption and indiscipline.

More importantly, it is on record that Professor Akintola and MURIC have vehemently condemned Boko Haram, terrorism and all forms of violence in press statements which are still available online. The fake coalition’s allegation against him is therefore very wicked, crude and a distortion of facts.

It is equally worthy of note that MURIC’s stand on Amotekun was deliberately twisted. The group spoke in support of security. It only rejected religious bias as manifested in the request for birth certificate from churches before being recruited into the security outfit.

We observe that the so called ‘Mukhtar’ and his fake coalition are more concerned with “liberation of Yoruba, Igbo & South-south” from what he called “Fulani’s stranglehold”. As well-known Islamic organizations under the canopy of “Alliance for the Protection of Yoruba Muslims” (APYM), we are concerned with the unity of the country and the oneness of Muslims which transcend state and regional boundaries. Finally, we assert that we are with MURIC and Akintola is not a trouble-maker.

Thanks

Alliance for the Protection of Yoruba Muslims (APYM)

SIGNED BY:

1.  Barrister Abdul Fatah Muheeb

For National Council of Muslim Youth Organisations (NACOMYO),

2.  Barrister Mutiat Orolu-Balogun

For the Federation of Muslim Women Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN),

3.  Dr. Saeed Ashafa

For the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN),

4.  Dr. Luqman Raheem

for The Muslim Congress (TMC),

5.  Abdul Hameed Danmole

 for Muslims in National Development (MIND),

6.  Disu Kamor

For Muslim Public Affairs Center (MPAC),

7.  Amir Qamardeen Ajala Jimoh

For Markaz al-Dawah,

8.  Ustadh Jamiu Adegunwa

for Risalatul Haq Dawah Society International,

9.  Alhaji Muhammad Ali Bolaji Akewukewe

And Alhaji Ishaq Ayandiran

for Association of Muslim Crosscheckers of Nigeria

10.                   Shaykh Tajudeen Al-Adabiy and Yusuf Moruf Olabanji

For Federation of Ahlu Sunna of Nigeria

11.                   Imam Sulaiman Ibraheem

For Jamaatu Izalat al-Bid’ah wa Iqamatus-Sunnah (Lagos State Branch)

12.                   Shaykh Daood Imran Molasan

For Jama’at Taawunil Muslimeen, Nigeria

13.                   Engr. Luqman Balogun

For Conference of Islamic Organisations

14.                   Barrister Hibbatullahi Salako

For Nurudeen Society of Nigeria

15.                   Barrister Isqil Lawal

For Muslim Lawyers Association of Nigeria (Lagos Chapter)