6th June,
2022
PRESS RELEASE:
ONDO KILLING: CRIMINAL, INHUMAN, NOT TRIBAL
- MURIC
An Islamic human
rights organization, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has again totally
condemned the killing of worshippers inside the St. Francis Catholic Church,
Owo, Ondo State which occurred yesterday, Sunday, 5th June, 2022. MURIC
submitted that although the attack was inhuman and criminal, it had no political,
tribal or religious motivation. MURIC had also condemned the killing yesterday.
Today’s statement
was also signed by Professor Ishaq Akintola, director of the organization. He
said :
“Reports have
reached us of a reprisal attack on the Hausa community in Ogwatoghose and Akure
in Ondo State after the criminal and unjustifiable attack on St. Francis Church
located in Oba-Oluwa Street, Owo in which many worshippers lost their lives.
Although we issued a statement in which we strongly condemned the church
attack, we are compelled to speak up again after the alleged reprisal attacks.
“From all indications, it now looks more like a bandit attack
particularly after learning that the attackers also kidnapped some people. Pecuniary
gain may therefore be the motive behind the attack. The fact that the same
bandits have been attacking both mosques and churches while killing and
kidnapping both Muslims and Christians necessitates caution.
“The Hausa
communities that are being attacked are also victims of banditry in their
states. Those Northerners who have been attacked or who are already being
targeted in Ondo State and other places are therefore not the culprits.
“The motive of the bandits is the money they hope to get from
the families of their kidnapped victims. Churches, mosques, schools, trains, buses,
etc are usually attacked by them because they see those places not only as soft
targets but also as places where they can get large numbers of people. The higher
the number of victims the bigger the expected ransom. They make their attacks
as ferocious as possible in order to create fear in the hearts of people.
“It is therefore a reign of terror. Religion is out of it. In
actual fact many victims of the bandits who were released after paying ransom
have confirmed that these hoodlums know nothing about religion. Many of their
Muslim victims who requested for permission to observe salat (Muslim prayer)
while in captivity were beaten mercilessly for daring to mention salat in their
presence.
“We call on the good
people of Nigeria to come together against men of evil. We must know the
difference between religion, ethnicity and crime. Let us not identify criminals
by their tribes or their faiths in order not to hurt innocent people.
“Those who committed
this atrocity inside the church have lost their humanity. It must be noted that they are under the
influence of narcotics. They are not even ordinary agents of Shaytan but
Shaytan incarnate. Both Christians and Muslims must unite to device means of
overpowering them.
“The information paraphernalia
at both the federal and state levels should be set in motion to create
awareness of the danger of reprisal attacks for fear of the bandwagon effect it
may generate.
“MURIC reminds
Nigerians that justice is a square peg. Vengeance is a round hole. The two
cannot match. What you seek to get is not what you achieve and the cycle of
violence can go on ad infinitum until it gets back to those who
initiated it.
“Worse still, reprisal attacks may lead to war. Let us learn
from Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Sudan. Rockets are still falling on Ukranian infrastructure.
It is painful watching the fast destruction of civilization on such massive
scale. We therefore appeal to all and sundry to leave this matter in the hands of
the security agencies.
“We are waiting for
swift action from the Federal Government (FG). Compensation should be paid to the
bereaved families. Those injured should be treated at FG’s expense while the cost
of repairing the church should be taken up by FG. Besides, the state government
should be forthcoming in terms of hospitality towards the victims’ families and
trauma management by experts. They must be made to feel the presence of
government.
“We advise the
leadership of the Muslim community in Owo, Ondo State to initiate sympathy and courtesy
visits to St. Francis Catholic Church. We must forge unity at a time enemies of
peace have done their worst. Let us defeat public enemies with exchanges of neighbourliness.”
Professor Ishaq
Akintola,
Director,
Muslim Rights
Concern
(MURIC)
.png)
