ALLEGATION OF INVITING BANDITS TO SOUTH WEST: MUSLIM HATERS HAVE COME AGAIN - MURIC

 

^{MUSLIM RIGHTS CONCERN (MURIC)}

^{‎هيئة حقوق المسلمين}

^{‎Motto: Dialogue, Not Violence}

^{‎‎31st May, 2026}

^{‎‎PRESS RELEASE:}

^{ALLEGATION OF INVITING BANDITS TO SOUTH WEST: MUSLIM HATERS HAVE COME AGAIN - MURIC}

^{‎‎A civil liberties organization, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has accused some Yoruba Christian elements of orchestrating a hate-campaign against innocent Yoruba Muslims and Muslim groups, particularly MURIC by accusing them of inviting Boko Haram terrorists and bandits into the region.}

^{Meanwhile, the Executive Director of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola has issued a rejoinder in which he traced the allegation to ‘Muslim haters’. The rejoinder was issued on Sunday, 31st May, 2026.}

^{He said:}

^{“We are in possession of a satanic tweet in which the author alleged that MURIC had radicalized Islamic clerics in the South West and those clerics are inviting terrorists to the region.‎}

^{‎"Nothing can be farther from the truth. The real truth is that Yoruba Muslims have been victims of religious persecution for decades. Their Christian neighbours who are behind the persecution are hell bent on maintaining the status quo. They therefore resist every attempt to liberate Muslims in Yorubaland.}

^{‎‎"Any individual or group who sets out with the agenda to emancipate Muslims in Yorubaland is tagged a radical, a fundamentalist or an extremist. This is the case of MURIC and this is why Muslim haters always concoct lies against the group. This also explains why MURIC's name is now on the lips of these agent provocateur.}

^{‎‎"It is just too illogical. How can MURIC or any Yoruba Muslim group invite Boko Haram or bandits to Yorubaland when we all know that those criminals do not differentiate on the basis of religion. They kill more Muslims than Christians. They attack mosques and churches.} 

^{‎‎"By the way, Boko Haram, bandits and other terrorists are even bound to hate MURIC because our way of life and our modus operandi differ from their ways.  We detest violence. We oppose killings, kidnappings, etc. Our motto: 'Dialogue, Not Violence', stands us out. We are led by intellectuals, not hoodlums. Many of our state chairmen are university professors and holders of doctorate degrees. We are knowledge driven. Our detractors missed this.}

^{‎‎"Besides, MURIC is known to have issued several statements in the past condemning terrorist groups. We have never hidden our distaste and allergy for terrorism. We have the pedigree. Anyone who googles 'MURIC condemns terrorism' or 'MURIC condemns Boko Haram' will confirm our claim.}

^{‎‎"Exempli gratia, very early in 2014, when Boko Haram just started, we condemned the group’s doctrine, describing it as ‘despicable’ (https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/160342-nigerian-islamic-group-condemns-boko-harams-doctrine-despicable.html?tztc=1).}

^{“Also in July 2014, MURIC condemned Boko Haram’s attack on a church in Chibok, Borno State (https://thenationonlineng.net/attack-on-churches-contradicts-ramadan-spirit-says-muric/).}

^{‎‎"We condemned Boko Haram's attack on Ondo church in 2022 (https://saharareporters.com/2022/06/05/ondo-church-attack-proof-boko-haram-terrorists-are-now-south-west-nigeria%E2%80%94islamic-group).}

^{‎‎"We called for a united front when terrorists attacked a train in 2022 (https://thenationonlineng.net/train-attack-muric-urges-unity-against-terrorists/amp/).}

^{‎‎"In 2015, we warned Muslim youths to avoid terrorist groups (https://www.africanexaminer.com/world-insurgency-muric-discourages-youths-to-avoid-terrorist-groups/).}

^{‎‎"Also in 2022, we condemned terrorist attacks in Zamfara State (https://www.suprememagazine.news/amp/defencesecurity/muric-condemns-killings-in-zamfara-112679).}

^{“We applauded the DSS and the NSA when terrorist leaders were captured last year 2025 (https://pmnewsnigeria.com/2025/08/17/muric-applauds-dss-nsa-after-capture-of-top-terror-leaders/).}

^{‎‎"Whoever is not satisfied with our explanation and the plethora of proofs given above is certainly suffering from Islamophobia. Those proofs were not provided because we are afraid of anyone. They were provided because they were there. They were real. We did not conjure them. Internet will not allow manipulation. It has an indestructible medulla oblongata.}

^{‎‎"Muslim haters have been threatening us for years and we have remained undaunted. Nobody can scare the MURIC leadership or its members. We are bona fide Nigerians, law abiding and peace-loving Muslims. Nobody can intimidate us. We know our rights.}

^{‎‎"Those proofs were provided because of the need to prove to posterity and the rest of the world that MURIC and Yoruba Muslim groups have nothing to do with terrorists. None of us can ever invite bandits or Boko Haram into Yorubaland.}

^{‎‎The problem with the extremist and fanatical Christians of the South West is that they want to take over completely. They do not want to see any vestiges of Islam in Yorubaland. They hate MURIC in particular because they find us standing between them and the poor Yoruba Muslims whose rights they have been violating.}

^{‎‎"Their sole objective now is to totally diminish MURIC's influence by any means possible, including through physical elimination, detention or imprisonment but Allah has made it impossible for them.}

^{‎‎"We are not fabricating this. At least one of their members expressed an open desire that the leader of MURIC should disappear on the streets of Lagos (https://www.nairaland.com/5097287/waec-official-threatens-muric-director/1). That was in March 2019.}

^{‎‎"Also in August 2020, a Yoruba Christian fanatic was sponsored to claim that the MURIC leader received the sum of 200,000 dollars from Boko Haram (https://theeagleonline.com.ng/nigerian-islamic-rights-group-muric-accused-of-receiving-200000-from-boko-haram-affiliate/). The allegation crumbled for lack of credibility.}

^{‎‎"This new allegation of inviting bandits to Yorubaland is another futile attempt to dent our image but it has also failed.  Nigerians are not fools. They know our methodology. Neither are Nigerian security agencies easy to distract. They know a dummy when they see one.}

^{‎"MURIC appeals to all Yoruba homo sapiens compos mentis to come together in the fight against bandits and Boko Haram. Just like the leader of MURIC said last week (23rd May, 2026) in a newspaper interview, ‘They (the terrorists and the bandits) intend to scare us stiff (in Yorubaland); to spread mayhem and to embarrass Yoruba leaders and South-West governments. But they will fail by the grace of Allah. The South-West must come together and act like one body.}

^{“He (the MURIC leader) also added, ‘We must fight like the real men that we are. Our forefathers took on spears and arrows with their chests, never with their backs. We will not run from these hoodlums. We will fight side by side with the law enforcement agents. We will outnumber the bandits and outgun them. After all, they are not spirits…From now on, no Yoruba man must sleep without a cudgel under his pillow… It is better to die with honour than live in bondage and shame in the kidnapper’s den (https://newtelegraphng.com/kidnappings-killings-in-south-west-must-stop-now-alaafin-gani-adams-akintola-afenifere/).}

^{“Instead of uniting all Yorubas to fight side by side against Boko Haram and bandits, some Yoruba Christians (not all) want to isolate and scapegoat Yoruba Muslims, particularly MURIC. We know that a dog is given a bad name when they want to kill it. But they will fail.}

^{“MURIC invites all Yoruba citizens to unite to fight bandits. A divided house can never stand. United we stand, divided we fall. Nobody should politicize banditry. This is not about religion. We will never run away. We must fight for our land, our freedom, our children, our wives and our mothers.}

^{“But nobody can fight it alone. Even the police and the army are soliciting for the support of the citizens. The Yoruba must not run from bandits. They are criminals and we will speak to them in the only language they understand. We will stop them.}

^{“We therefore charge Yoruba youths (Muslims and Christians) to join resistance vigilante groups like Oduduwa Peoples’ Congress (OPC), Amotekun, Iru Ekun, etc. Bandit war is here. Boko Haram war is also here. We will not flee from Boko Haram. We will do this together.}

^{“Our forefathers were gallant in the Battle of Ogele (1825), valiant in Mugbamugba War (1824-1825), uncompromising in Eleduwe War (1830), and roaring lions in the decisive Battle of Osogbo (1840). We will defend our land. We will never run away. We mean every word here.}

^{“As for those Muslim haters among the Christians who are only interested in using the opportunity to profile, silhouette, stereotype and deal with Yoruba Muslims and  those who are protecting them, they have been bitten by the acrobatic religiousity bug. Their hidden agenda will fail.”}

^{‎‎‎#BanditsInYorubaland}

^{‎#DontProfileYorubaMuslims}

^{‎#StopSilhouetting}

^{#YorubaStandUp}

^{#GallantYorubaVigilantes}

^‎

^{‎Professor Ishaq Akintola,} 

^{‎Founder/Executive Director,} 

^{‎Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC).}