OSUN 2014: DON’T ARREST OPPOSITION LEADERS

4^th August, 2014

PRESS RELEASE:

OSUN 2014: DON’T ARREST OPPOSITION LEADERS

The State of Osun will hold its gubernatorial election on Saturday, 9^th August, 2014. Already, there are claims of massive deployment of security agents to the state. About 900 agents of the Department of State Security (SSS) were allegedly moved to the state last week alone. During his visit to the state three days ago, President Jonathan also reportedly promised to flood the state with policemen.      

If past experiences are anything to go by, civil society and the general populace must take this development with a pinch of salt. It is an open secret that the ruling parties in the 60s used security agents to intimidate the opposition.

Many opposition leaders were arrested and detained about 48 hours to the election to pave way for massive rigging. Those detained were not released until several days after the doctored results which were in favour of the unpopular ruling party had been released.

This open rape on democracy led to the first military coup in the country on 15^th July, 1966. Similar allegations were made against the ruling party in the days preceding the 1983 general elections and it also culminated in another military coup.

As a human rights organization, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) is disturbed by the allegation of massive arrest of key opposition figures during the last gubernatorial election in Ekiti State. Equally unnerving is the police treatment of the state governor (who was allegedly teargassed), the palpable presence of soldiers and the latter’s treatment of opposition leaders, including governors from other states who belonged to the opposition.

MURIC expresses grave concern over this anti-democratic trend of a partisan military and a compromised police force. These are all the ingredients needed to inject heavy doses of unethical and unprofessional drugs into the anatomy of the security agencies.

The price Nigeria will pay for this is heavy as our military may be rendered impotent in real battle situations. We may be paying the price already because this factor may have been responsible for the inability of Nigerian soldiers to overpower Boko Haram insurgents.

Whereas MURIC has a principled obligation to remain nonpartisan, it is also our duty as an integral part of civil society to watch the actions of governments and to point out their excesses. This is necessary in order to keep governments on the tiptoes of good governance.

This is the international best practices among Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs).  It is therefore needless to blackmail civil society by accusing us of nursing and exhibiting pro-opposition proclivities. Whereas politicians think only of the next election, MURIC thinks of the safety and welfare of this and coming generations.

Our regular advocacy and interventions are in consonance with the teaching of Islam concerning the relationship between the government and the citizenry. The Glorious Qur’an warns citizens not to stand aloof when things are going awry, “And fear a tumult or oppression which will not affect the wrongdoers alone…” (Qur’sn 8:25).

We therefore appeal to the Federal Government to resist the temptation to use all powers at its disposal to secure victory at all costs in the Osun gubernatorial election on Saturday 9^th August, 2014. We also advise the security agencies to manifest the height of professionalism in the discharge of their duties, particularly during this coming election. We charge the electorate in Osun to be peaceful, orderly and law-abiding.

Finally, we urge civil society to stand up and be counted in the conduct of Osun 2014 polls before, during and after the election.

Professor Ishaq Akintola,

Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)

MURIC PETITIONS FG OVER KILLING OF SHIITE MUSLIMS

Esteemed Members,

As-Salaam Alaykum,

Somebody complained on that MURIC did nothing about the killing of 35 Shiite Muslims in Zaria a week ago. But this is not true. MURIC issued a press statement four days ago (a copy of that press statement was posted to this forum) and we also sent a petition to the Federal Government on the issue.

Please find below a copy of the petition sent through His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the NSCIA on the massacre of our Muslim brothers in Zaria. The petition was sent on Tuesday 29^th July, 2014.

MURIC PETITIONS FG OVER MASSACRE OF

SHIITE MUSLIMS

The President General,

Nigerian Supreme Council For Islamic Affairs,

National Mosque,

Abuja.                                                                                       

    Date: 29^th July, 2014

Your Eminence,

As-Salaam Alaykum,

PETITION OVER THE MASSACRE OF 35 MUSLIMS IN ZARIA BY THE NIGERIAN MILITARY

We are constrained to bring to your attention the brutal massacre of thirty five (35) Muslims who were marking Quds Day which is an annual event set aside to mark the Day of Palestine.

In an unprecedented departure from all known norms in security circles and in clear breach of international best practices, Nigerian soldiers descended on the peaceful procession and mowed down thirty five unarmed Muslims in Zaria on Friday, 25^th July, 2014. 

In view of the fact that the use of street protests as a veritable means of ventilating strong opinion on public issue is not a new phenomenon and it is respected the world over, this brutal action must be registered as a crime against humanity.

In compliance with the President-General’s constant admonition on the need for adopting the dialogue option when we are wronged, we of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) deem it necessary to call your attention to this unprovoked aggression with the hope that Your Eminence will bring it to the attention of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, His Excellency Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.

As a Muslim human rights organization, we are deeply concerned about Allah-given and fundamental human rights of the dead and injured victims which stand violated by the perpetrators. We therefore demand the following:

1.  thorough investigation of the massacre and due punishment for the perpetrators;

2.  adequate compensation for the injured and families of the dead victims of this unwarranted military assault and

3.  unreserved apology for the military’s high-handedness.

We remind Your Eminence that a similar extra-judicial killing by the same military led the nation to where it is today. For the war against Boko Haram to be jointly fought and won and for Nigerian Muslims not to begin to see themselves as endangered species being deliberately targeted by the Nigerian military, the Federal Government must ensure that the above three steps are taken.

We reaffirm our belief in and commitment to the oneness of Nigeria as a nation and we resolve to continue to promote peaceful coexistence among the different religious and ethnic groups which make up this potentially great country.

Long Live the Sultan.

Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Professor Ishaq Akintola,                          Alhaji Tijani Shehu

Director,                                                         Secretary

NOTA BENE: Please find attached our press statement on this issue.

URGENT MESSAGE ON THE KILLING OF MUSLIMS IN ZARIA

URGENT MESSAGE TO ALL MUSLIMS

I am drawing our attention once again to the military’s callous massacre of 35 Muslims who were marking Quds Day in a peaceful procession in Zaria on Friday 25^th July, 2013. A Muslim who did not reveal his or her name posted a message to MURIC’s blog (muslimrightsmuric.blogspot.com) in which he complained bitterly that MURIC has not said anything about the massacre.

The administrator blocked the comment because the complainant was lodging a wrong case. He was not aware that MURIC had issued a press statement on the matter since Tuesday July 29^th 2014 (3 days ago). A copy of the press statement was immediately posted to our blog. The writer’s complaint was not published because he was unfair to MURIC and he lodged the complaint out of ignorance. His complaint was capable of misleading the public. If he had taken the pains to check our blog properly, he would have found it there.

I am appealing to members of this forum to please report to us if any newspaper published our condemnation of the killing of our brothers and sisters in Zaria. Secondly, any of us who has the contact of Shaykh Ibrahim Al-Zakzaky (telephone and email address) should kindly forward it to me so I can personally condole him on the sad killing of three of his children. Such contact is necessary in building confidence in the Ummah and strengthening its unity.

Members who have the contacts of Shiite members should also forward the press statement issued by MURIC on the issue. Please note that apart from issuing a press statement, MURIC also forwarded a petition to the Federal Government demanding three things:  one, thorough investigation of the tragic incident and punishment for the perpetrators, two, due compensation for the victims and three, unreserved apology from the top echelon of the military.

Let me also inform you that in spite of the current tension in the Ummah on the moonsighting controversy, it was the General Secretary of the NSCIA, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, who contacted me after receiving a copy of our press statement and advised that MURIC should forward a petition on the massacre through him to the Sultan for onward transmission to President Jonathan and, pronto, it was done. I made sure that the petition was sent to him within two hours on that same day (Tuesday, 29^th July, 2014).

So, apart from the press statement, MURIC also petitioned the Federal Government over the matter and we attached our press statement to the petition. It is important to let our brothers in Zaria know that we took action over the sad incident.

Muslims should be one, whether Sunni, Shiite or Ahmadiyyah; whether black or white, male or female. This is the vision of MURIC and we have always worked in line with this philosophy.

Let me also seize this opportunity to ask the person who lodged the complaint to please forward a copy of this to the brothers in Zaria. We in MURIC assure them that they are not alone. We stand by them in this crucial period and we share their pains.

SIGHTING OF MOON IN IBADAN CONFIRMS SULTAN WAS RIGHT

SIGHTING OF MOON IN IBADAN

CONFIRMS SULTAN WAS RIGHT

Below is the testimony of Olayiwola Rasheed on his Facebook page on Thursday 31^st July, 2014:

Al amdulilah robil aalamin، sodaqo llah li azeem، wa sodaqo Rosullul Kareem، Prophet says، Fast when you sight the moon and break by sighting the moon، Al amdulilah، “I saw the moon very clear now at about 7. 43”,

A friend of mine just called on phone to come out of my house to see it that، he saw it as far as Igbo-Oloyin. Immediately I came out of my house I could see it very clearly.

May Allah forgive the Muslims and the leaders in the South West who in one way or the other misled the Ummah of Islam. This is the essence of Unity in Islam. Barka de sallah

ID CONTROVERSY: SULTAN’S ANNOUNCEMENT STANDS

30^th July, 2014

PRESS RELEASE:

ID CONTROVERSY: SULTAN’S ANNOUNCEMENT STANDS

An online media outfit published a story yesterday Tuesday 29^th July, 2014 in which it claimed that the Sultan’s Palace admitted that the moon was not sighted before the Sultan made the announcement. The publication claimed that the Sultan admitted that he made a mistake and that the Moon-Sighting Committee was right.

After painstaking investigation, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) can confirm that the story is false, baseless and without any iota of truth. We spoke with the Sultan to ascertain the truth. His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) reaffirmed his earlier announcement and denied granting such an interview.

MURIC can also reveal that the normal procedure was followed in arriving at the decision to make the announcement. On the 29th of every month of Sha’ban (i.e. the month preceding Ramadan), the Sultanate issues a circular and press statement to all Emirs, Muslim chiefs and Obas in Nigeria, the 85 District Heads in Sokoto as well as leaders of  prominent Islamic organizations in Nigeria and the media that Muslims should look for the new Moon.

Many states have their own Moon-Sighting committees and the report of sighting or otherwise in any state is scrutinized before sending it to the Sultanate where a committee of scholars and council members will further screen the report according to the Islamic Shari'a. If found to be credible, the report will be presented to the Sultan who will further cross-check before making the announcement.

The above procedure was also followed this year. We assert that the Sultan took a wise step by making the announcement after seeing the credible testimonies of many Moon-Sighting committees including those of Emirs from several states. The findings of the Moon-Sighting Committee of the NSCIA could have been complementary to those of the state committees without leading to any controversy or public denials.

MURIC also discovered that the Sultan’s announcement was religiously obeyed by approximately 99% of Muslims in the North, 98% of Muslims in the South East and 48% of Muslims in the South West. This shows that the unity of the Nigerian Muslim Ummah remains solid while Sultan Abubakar III still enjoys his usual robust popularity.

We appeal to leaders of Islamic organizations, Muslim dignitaries and all stakeholders in the Muslim Ummah to jealously guard our hard-won unity and to stand firmly behind our committed, energetic and dynamic Sultan. We must not allow division within the Nigerian Muslim Ummah. We urge Muslims to shun violence at all times, to remain calm and law-abiding and to work towards a strong and united Nigeria.

Finally, we reaffirm that the Sultanate did not issue any statement admitting that the moon was not sighted before the announcement was made. We task all stakeholders in the Ummah to join hands with the Sultan in building a virile, progressive and united Muslim community. We charge Muslim leaders to put this incident behind them because there are greater challenges facing the Ummah and the country at large. We must not dissipate energy on the peripheral leaving the tangential to wallow.

Professor Ishaq Akintola,

Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)

MURIC CONDOLES MALLAM NASIR EL-RUFAI & FAMILY

30^th July, 2014

PRESS RELEASE:

MURIC CONDOLES THE EL-RUFAI FAMILY

With heavy hearts but with submission to the will of Almighty Allah, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) commiserates with Mallam Nasir El-Rufai on the loss of his son, Hamzah, in a fatal accident in Abuja yesterday, Tuesday 29th July, 2014.

We share these moments of grief with the El-Rufai family and we reaffirm that every soul shall taste of death (Qur'an 3:185). 

May Allah put a stop to tragedies in the family of our dear brother Nasir El-Rufai. May the Supreme Creator also strengthen the family to bear the loss. We also pray for the repose of the soul of the deceased brother, Hamzah El-Rufai in Al-Jannah Firdaus.

Professor Ishaq Akintola,

Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)..

MASSACRE OF SHIITE PROTESTERS: FG MUST PUNISH PERPETRATORS

29^th July, 2014

PRESS RELEASE:

MASSACRE OF SHIITE PROTESTERS: FG MUST PUNISH PERPETRATORS

About thirty five (35) Shiites peacefully protesting against Israelli belligerence were shot dead in Zaria, Kaduna State on Friday 25^th July, 2014. Three sons of Shiite leader, Shaykh Ibrahim Al-Zakzaky (Mahmud, Ahmad and Hamid who were all studying outside Nigeria) were among the victims.    

Soldiering is a noble profession reserved for heroes and chivalrous citizens. The Nigerian Army is blessed with disciplined officers and men of high integrity but the soldiers involved in this massacre are bad examples who are out to smear the image of our military.

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) is shocked by the manifestation of barbarism and excessive use of force by the black sheep among the Nigerian military in this deadly operation. We strongly condemn this unprovoked aggression. It is callous, cowardly and inhuman. It is appalling. It is crime against humanity to mow down unarmed civilians.

Shiite procession in Zaria is an annual routine known to all and sundry and they have not been known to turn violent. It appears to us that the Nigerian military is seeking to gain by the bends what they fail to gain at the straights. The military is still interested in power but having realized that military dictatorship has become unpopular all over the world, it seeks to retain power via crude relevance by deliberately creating perpetual turmoil.

We posit that the attack on the Shiites is an indirect invitation to the evolution of another guerilla group. Today was born from the wombs of yesterday. We only need to look back and trace the history of Boko Haram. It was the extra-judicial killing of Boko Haram leader 24 hours after he was arrested and shown alive on television which started what has now become a national gangrene, a regional cancerous tumor and a universal cankerworm.

MURIC is therefore constrained to ask the military to stop plotting the gradual destabilization of Nigeria. The Federal Government (FG) must confront this challenge now and find a lasting solution to it. FG must desist from pampering the military. Instead, the military must be retrained and re-engineered to evolve a culture of respect for civilian authority. FG must be firm this time around and the first step in this direction is to stop involving the military in civil matters like elections and confronting peaceful protesters.

We are aware that FG has promised investigation into the killings. MURIC warns against failed promises. We demand thorough investigation. The panel of inquiry must include civilians and retired judges. Nigerians have no confidence in soldiers investigating themselves in issues involving soldiers and civilians. Soldiers who fail to imbibe the culture of submission to civil norms in a democratic dispensation are potent threats to the survival of our nascent democracy. Those found culpable must be dismissed and tried in civil courts for mass murder.

MURIC will take the case to the international arena if the authorities fail to uncover and punish the perpetrators. Somebody gave the order to open fire. Who was it? Who led the troops from the barracks? The records must be there. This must not be handled in-house by the military. These reckless elements within the military have committed a crime capable of instigating the formation of another ‘terrorist’ group.

Nigerian authorities cannot be unaware of the cause-effect theory of terrorism. This theory posits that what we call ‘terrorism’ is mere smoke. If it is true that there is no smoke without fire, we must look beyond the terrorists if we really want to stop terrorism. Those who started the fire which produced the smoke of terrorism must be checked. In short, if we really want to defeat Boko Haram, we must punish those who engage in extra-judicial killing. They are the military ‘extremists’ and extremists have the propensity either to fuel terrorism or to become terrorists themselves..

Finally, MURIC demands adequate compensation for the injured and families of the dead victims of this military misadventure and unreserve apology from the topmost echelon of the Nigerian military. Our demands can therefore be summarized: one, full investigation and due punishment for the perpetrators, two, adequate compensation for the victims and three, unreserved apology.

These three steps are necessary in order to deprive Boko Haram of potential sympathizers and to forestall the emergence of another guerrilla group.

Professor Ishaq Akintola,

Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)