New Telegraph

MURIC denies link to terror

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), on Wednesday, said it had uncovered the person who accused it of collecting money from a terrorist group, the Islamic State for West Africa Province (ISWAP). ISWAP is a splinter of Boko- Haram that has been causing unrest in North-eastern Nigeria for over a decade now. MURIC had in a statement, on Tuesday, denied affiliations with any terrorist group in or outside Nigeria, following an accusation it said was made against it by an unnamed person. MURIC director, Ishaq Akintola, described the allegation as illogical, saying that the group has always condemned every act of terror, whether it happened in or outside Nigeria. “The motto of MURIC is ‘dialogue, not violence’. So how can we descend so low as to collect money from terrorists? Such lies will not fly.

“The terrorists themselves know that we can never support them. How can they give us money? The allegation is dead on arrival,” Mr Akintola said. The MURIC head appealed to the federal government to investigate the source of the information, adding that the group has never been involved in any international activity. Following the allegations, a former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, on his verified Twitter account on Tuesday, called for an investigation into the matter. Mr Fani-Kayode urged the federal government to declare MURIC a terrorist organisation if the allegation is true.

MURIC, has accused Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba State of marginalizing Muslims in the appointments in the state. MURIC wondered why ten out of the fourteen commissioners in the state are Christians when twelve out of the sixteen local governments are predominated by Muslim populations.

This is contained in a statement issued by the group’s director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, which accuses the governor of pursuing a Christian agenda. MURIC said, “We have genuine cassu belli to interrogate the actions of the governor of Taraba State. He is oppressing Taraba Muslims and non-Jukuns. Under his watch, all sectors of the state have been christianised. From education to employment and political appointments, Muslims and non- Jukuns are relegated to the background.

“Primordialism, parochialism, exclusivism, religious bigotry featuring preferential consideration for Christians and the Jukun tribe over Muslims and other tribes in virtually every aspect of governance is what Muslims and non-Jukun tribes have been facing in Taraba State for the past five years.

“Taraba Muslims face discrimination when seeking admission into higher institutions. Scholarships are the exclusive preserve of Christians. Jobs are laundered through the churches and letters of reference from pastors and deacons are automatic passports for employment. Promotion from one grade to another is decided by virtue of faith. Even death benefits of Muslims are withheld while those of Christians are paid pronto.

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