HERDSMEN VERSUS YORUBA: MURIC CALLS FOR DIALOGUE

 

24^th January, 2021

                

PRESS RELEASE:

HERDSMEN VERSUS YORUBA: MURIC CALLS FOR DIALOGUE

      

A Yoruba activist, Sunday Adeyemo Igboho who gave quit notice to the Hausa-Fulani in Igangan, Oke Ogun area of Oyo State, led indigenes of the area to attack the Hausa-Fulani community on Friday, 22nd January, 2021. The incident allegedly resulted in the destruction of houses and vehicles. In its reaction to the incident, the Nigerian Islamic human rights organization, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has called for dialogue and wider consultation. MURIC advised the Federal Government to apply caution in handling the fragile situation.

 

 

This was contained in a statement issued by the director of the organization, Professor Ishaq Akintola on Sunday, 24^th January, 2021.

 

 

According to MURIC, “The Igangan incident must be condemned by all lovers of peace. But at the same time, we cannot close our eyes to the pain and suffering of farmers and indigenes of the area whom criminals see as soft targets for kidnapping, armed robbery, etc. It is however crystal clear that it is not a religious matter, though some have been misled into labeling it an Hausa-Fulani affair. Our focus must be the criminals, not any tribe.  

 

 

“While we do not endorse violence, we opine that people whose farms have been destroyed have the right to express indignation. In the same manner, those whose relations or friends have fallen victims to criminal activities like kidnapping and armed robbery are justified to speak up. The only difference here is that no single tribe should be held responsible for all the crimes.

 

 

“This is because criminals abound in all faiths and tribes everywhere in the world, not only in Nigeria. We should therefore address crime and criminals. We should target kidnappers and armed robbers, not any particular ethnicity. Those who make the mistake of profiling people of certain tribes will end up hurting decent elements within that tribe and this is against the law of natural justice.

 

“With particular reference to the Oyo and Ondo State incidents and the quit notices, MURIC reminds people of the South West that the crisis cuts across ethnicities. The same herdsmen are involved in several states. Benue, Kaduna, Adamawa, Taraba, Enugu, Onitsha, PortHarcourt, etc, are facing the same problem of herdsmen versus farmers. In essence, the phenomenon is general and not targeted at the Yoruba per se.

 

 

“Almost all the northern states face the herdsmen versus farmers conflict, banditry and kidnapping. People of the South West must consider the fate of thousands of their kinsmen from Ogbomosho, Offa, Iwo, Ibadan, etc who have resided in the North for more than a hundred years before insisting on a general expulsion of Northerners.

 

 

“Truth is bitter, but the earlier we say it the better. Herdsmen have no right to destroy crops. This is where people have genuine grievances against herdsmen. But indigenes should not label all herdsmen as kidnappers because there are law abiding citizens among them. Yet the most disturbing thing is that many of the criminals are foreigners. Our suggestion is that it is these criminals and foreigners that the security agencies (including amotekun) should go after.

 

 

“Instead of applying the big stick, MURIC advises the Federal Government to consult widely with elders from all the states of the federation concerning the issue of herdsmen versus farmers with a view to finding a comprehensive solution. FG should also seek advice from other African countries where the same crisis has been on the front burner at one time or the other since this conflict is not restricted to Nigeria alone. It is national, continental and universal in dimension.

 

 

“To douse tension immediately, both FG and the Oyo State government should undertake to speedily and adequately compensate victims of the latest conflict in Igangan, Oyo State. FG in particular should take greater responsibility because it is the nationwide lacuna in security matters that has been responsible for the breakdown in law and order.  

 

 

“Instead of issuing threats and counter-threats, we appeal to the various ethnicities in the country to understand the nature of the conflict. Herders and farmers crisis is not a Nigerian problem alone, it is universal. Nigeria needs to seek an enduring panacea to its own peculiar problems instead of aggravating the conflict. We must learn from the war in Rwanda, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, etc and the attendant humanitarian disasters. This is still avoidable in Nigeria.

 

 

“MURIC’s avowed motto is ‘Dialogue, Not Violence’. We therefore advocate wide scale dialogue in the present circumstances. MURIC advises the FG to apply caution in handling the fragile situation. FG should take responsibility, compensate victims of the attack in Oyo State and engage all stakeholders in dialogue. We call on governors in affected states to consult traditional rulers on the best solution to the crisis. All forms of confrontation and muscle-flexing should stop in the interest of peace.”

 

 

Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Director, 
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)

 

NPC AS KUKAH INITIATIVE IS HOCUS-POCUS - MURIC

 

22^nd January, 2021

                

PRESS RELEASE:

NPC AS KUKAH INITIATIVE IS HOCUS-POCUS - MURIC

      

The Nigerian Islamic human rights organization, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has declared that the National Peace Committee (NPC) as Kukah’s initiative has lost credibility among Nigerians. MURIC spoke on the heels of the revelation by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) that NPC is a personal initiative of Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah.

 

 

MURIC’s statement which was circulated to the media on Friday, 22^nd January, 2021 was signed by the director of the organization, Professor Ishaq Akintola.

 

 

The statement reads:

 

“We received the information supplied yesterday by the Vice Chairman (Northern Region) of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. John Hayab, with great relief. The CAN Vice Chairman revealed that the National Peace Committee (NPC) is a non-governmental group convened by Bishop Kukah himself.

 

 

“This information is hidden from the public as NPC website merely says, ‘The National Peace Committee is an initiative conceptualized in 2014 in response to emerging threats occasioned by the 2015 general elections. It is an initiative made up of eminent elder statesmen who undertake efforts to support free, fair and credible elections as well as intervene in critical issues of national concern through high-level mediated and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms…’

 

 

“The fact that the author of the ‘initiative’ is hidden from the public in its website here shows lack of transparency and possession of a hidden agenda. The joker card is in Kukah’s pocket. This can be gleaned from the composition of the membership of the committee which has fifteen (15) members.

 

 

“They are : Abdul Salami Abubakar, Mathew Hassan Kukah, Okoh Ebute Ukiwe, Dame Priscilla Kuye, HRH Sa’d Abubakar III the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Aliko Dangote GCON, Archbishop Nicholas Okoh, Mr. Brown Ade, Mr. Sam Amuka, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, Professor Amezi Gobadiya, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, Dr. Supo Ayokunle (CAN President), Justice Rose Ikeji

 

 

“These are eminent personalities whom we respect. But that should not be all. We must look further and ask, ‘How ‘national’ is the National Peace Committee? This must be done particularly because the brain behind it is also a social critic. A man who interrogates others must know that his actions will equally be interrogated. So how ‘national’ is the National Peace Committee?

 

 

“From the above list of members of Kuka’s committee we can see ten (10) Christians and five (5) Muslims only. There are also nine Southerners as against six (6) Northerners only. Can you now see what we mean? A man who always complains about marginalization and accuses others of nepotism cannot even raise a committee of fifteen without falling foul of his own allegations against others.

 

 

“Bishop Kukah, sir, permit us to borrow a question for you from your Bible: ‘Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?...’ (Mathew 7:3-5).

 

 

“Bishop Kukah turned a personal initiative to ‘national’ and Nigerians fell for it. With due respect to the distinguished leaders who are members of the committee. We believe that they merely keyed into the scheme as patriotic citizens without any intention to deceive Nigerians. But not Kukah. He was playing a card and he knew what he was doing all along.

 

 

“Pity Rev. Hayab let the cat out of the bag. Hear him: ‘How on earth will you say a man should be removed from the house he builds?’ Did you hear that? So NPC is a house built by Kukah. Sounds interesting. Too discourteous, overzealous perhaps? It happens sometimes. Kukah will have to forgive his brother in the Lord for being less tactical.

 

 

“But why call the NPC ‘national’ if it is just a single man’s initiative. What is national about it? Is it the ratio 10:5 Christian-Muslim membership or the 9:6 Southern-Northern margin? By Nigerian standard and practice, anything ‘national’ is established by the government. So why dub a committee started by a single man ‘national’?

 

 

“This presupposes that there was, ab initio, an intention to pull the wool over the face of Nigerians. NPC was to be used against somebody (a political foe?) or a group of people (most likely Muslims?) in the near future. It is highly deceitful, misleading and perfidious. Had it been christened Kukah Peace Committee had been good. But now the wind has blown. We have seen the ruff of the hen. Kukah elected to call his committee ‘National’ to hoodwink Nigerians. We reject this nomenclature. It is bogus, mischievous and opportunistic.

 

 

“For the avoidance of doubts, we did not ask the Federal Government (FG) to expel Bishop Kukah from the NPC, we knew all along that NPC is an NGO. What we cautioned FG about was the obsession of successive governments in appointing Kukah into mediation committees.

 

 

“It is our humble opinion that a Muslim hater like Kukah should not be allowed to sit in judgement or in mediation on issues affecting Muslims or matters affecting the North. FG is free to appoint him as minister and give him six portfolios at a time if it so desires but never again as a mediator. Appoint him to any federal post but not to committees and councils that will mediate between the North and the South or between Christians and Muslims. He can never be fair or objective. His mind is fixated on one thing and we already know what that thing is.

 

 

“Whereas the core values of the National Peace Committee as stated on its website include neutrality, integrity and transparency, Bishop Kukah showed undue interest in the affairs of a leading opposition party, flew in a candidate’s private jet and hobnobbed with the founding father of a political party to bring them together against another political party. That intervention tantamounts to partisan interference and it depicts Kukah as having particular interest in one of the political parties. So why is he deceiving us by calling his committee as National Peace Committee? It is sheer hocus-pocus.”

 

 

Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Director, 
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)

 

 

STOP IMPOSING KUKAH ON US - MURIC

 

19^th January, 2021

                

PRESS RELEASE:

STOP IMPOSING KUKAH ON US - MURIC

      

It appears the dust is yet to settle on the Kukah controversy as the Nigerian Islamic human rights body, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has called on the Federal Government (FG) and the National Peace Committee (NPC) to desist from imposing Bishop Mathew Hasan Kukah on Nigerian Muslims. MURIC reminded Muslims that they have the right to boycott any committee or event in which the controversial bishop is involved. 

 

MURIC stated this in its latest press release of Tuesday, 19^th January, 2020 The release was signed by its director, Professor Ishaq Akintola.

 

 

“We have watched in utter consternation in the past four weeks as some groups added fuel to the flame in the Kukah controversy. In particular, the Nigerian Catholic Mission and Northern Christian groups have arrogantly endorsed Bishop Kukah’s incinerating Christmas statement instead of dousing tension. Neither has the National Peace Committee (NPC) helped matters with its silence.

 

 

“Kukah himself added salt to injury by telling us that he did not know how or where he insulted Muslims. It means he is not ready to show remorse. Kukah will not recognise the dignity of his Muslim neighbor. He still believes that Muslims are there for him to push around and lampoon like school children.  

 

 

“Meanwhile several Islamic organisations including the Jamaatu Nasr il-Islam (JNI), the Nigerian Islamic Center, Zaria and the Sokoto Muslim Solidarity Forum have demanded Kukah’s resignation from that committee. It must be a huge joke if the Federal Government or the NPC think this matter can be swept under the carpet or that it would soon be overtaken by events.

 

 

“We insist that this is not one of such issues that will just melt away like ice cream under the burning desert sun. Successive Nigerian governments have created a larger than life image for Bishop Kukah by giving him lofty positions particularly in federal commissions and committees without any objection from Muslims. But Kukah failed to appreciate the grace of Nigerians particularly that of Muslims who have always endorsed such appointments.

 

 

“Unfortunately instead of a proper appraisal the bishop used every opportunity of his public profile to pour invectives on Muslims. The latter continued to tolerate him until his cup of ingratitude overflowed and spilled.

 

 

“You can force a horse to the river but you cannot force it to drink there. Mediation is a tripartite obligation. The two warring parties must be willing to come to the table. Both of them must also accept the mediator. A situation where one party has no confidence in the mediator necessitates bringing in a more credible person to mediate.

 

 

“Nigerian Muslims have told the National Peace Committee (NPC) that Bishop Kukah is no longer acceptable to them as Secretary and member of that Committee but surprisingly there is dead silence on the part of the NPC. Is that how to work for peace?

 

 

“NPC must scout around for a credible person to replace Kukah. We mean a non-controvertial personality, not a politician and not necessarily a religious leader. NPC may also want to go further if it so desires by coopting other middle-roaders and patriotic citizens.

 

 

“In case the NPC fails to act, Nigerian Muslims are hereby reminded that it is their Allah-given fundamental human right to boycott (or stage a walkout from) any event in which Bishop Mathew Hasan Kukah is involved either as the chairman, secretary, member, guest or speaker.

 

 

“It was Edmund Burke who said, ‘All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing’ and Abraham Lincoln complemented him by adding, ‘To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men’. Muslims must liberate themselves from Kukah’s grip if the NPC and FG refuse to tame this shrewd.”

 

 

Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Director, 
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)

 

 

 

 

MURIC CONDOLES SULTAN ON BROTHER’S DEATH

 

17^th January, 2021

                

PRESS RELEASE:

MURIC CONDOLES SULTAN ON BROTHER’S DEATH

      

Sokoto lost an industrious son yesterday as the state’s Commissioner for Home Affairs, Abdulkadir Jeli Abubakar III, died after a protracted illness. The deceased was a junior brother to the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar.

 

 

Meanwhile a faith-based human rights organization, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has commiserated with the Sultan on the loss of his brother. In a press release signed by the director of the organization, Professor Ishaq Akintola, MURIC described the commissioner’s death as sunset at dawn.

 

“We are deeply saddened by the death of our leader’s junior brother, Alhaji Abdulkadir Jeli Abubakar III, the commissioner for Home Affairs in Sokoto State. Though it is sunset at dawn, we take solace in the inevitability of death as a major philosophy in Islam. We condole His Eminence the Sultan and President General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA). Our thoughts are with him at this moment. Nigerian Muslims are in mourning mood.

 

 

“We share the pain of this huge loss with the entire members of the Abubakar family and the Sultanate. We also commiserate with the state governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, members of the state cabinet who were colleagues of the deceased and the good people of Sokoto State who will definitely miss him.

 

 

“May Almighty Allah overlook his trespasses, shower His divine mercy on him and count him among the inhabitants of Al-Jannah firdaus in the Hereafter. May Allah also give the family the fortitude to bear the loss.”

 

 

Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Director, 
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)