The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has called on Bishop Mathew Hasan Kukah of Sokoto Diocese to apologise over what it described as misleading claims that only Christians are targeted in Nigeria’s ongoing insecurity crisis and allegations of Islamisation.
In a statement released on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, the Executive Director of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola, said that crime in Nigeria is not based on religion or ethnicity. He stressed that both Muslims and Christians suffer equally from terrorism and banditry.
Akintola pointed to recent kidnappings to back up his claim. On September 15, gunmen abducted 40 Muslims from a mosque in Gidan Turbe village, Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State. On the same day, Rev. Father Wilfred Ezemba, a Catholic priest in Kogi State, was also kidnapped.
“These two sad incidents underline the fact that terrorists and bandits target no particular religion or ethnic group. What they are after is ransom. Terror has no faith, and crime has no colour,” he said.
Akintola also recalled the multiple attacks on Muslims in Sokoto, Katsina, and other parts of the country in recent years, which he said contradict the narrative that terrorism is aimed only at Christians.
He described those who frame terror attacks as religiously motivated as “anarchists, alarmists, and entrepreneurs of falsehood,” warning that such views create unnecessary divisions in Nigeria’s already fragile social fabric.
“Such false narratives of Islamisation only deepen mistrust among Nigerians,” he added.
MURIC insisted that Bishop Kukah should retract his statements and tender an unreserved apology to Nigerians for what they described as misleading the public with divisive remarks.
“We therefore call on Bishop Kukah to tender an unreserved apology to Nigerians for misleading them for so long,” Akintola said.
Nigeria has faced growing insecurity marked by kidnappings, bandit attacks, and terrorism. The violence cuts across religious and ethnic lines, affecting both Muslims and Christians.
While some public figures have alleged that certain groups are targeted due to their religion, others argue that criminals are motivated mainly by money and power, not faith.
In recent years, communities in northern Nigeria have suffered attacks regardless of religious affiliation, leading to widespread fear and displacement.
The ongoing debate around the causes of insecurity has often stirred tensions between religious groups, making calls for unity and accurate information more urgent.
