By Anwar Usman
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), a faith-based organisation, has called for the arrest and prosecution of a man identified as Maazi Kanayo over alleged incitement against Igbo Muslims in Southeastern Nigeria.
This was revealed in a statement on Wednesday, by the MURIC Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola.
MURIC said, the organization’s concern followed the circulation of a video clip in which the person in question reportedly made statements targeting Igbo Muslims.
The statement in part reads “We are in possession of a viral video clip in which the audio message of one Maazi Kanayo was aired. In the audio, Maazi Kanayo incited the Igbo people of Southeastern Nigeria to kidnap Igbo Muslims and bury them alive. The post was shared via TikTok.
“Igbo Muslims are being threatened with death for embracing Islam: how can we rise to their aid?”
Akintola added that the statements specifically targeted Muslims living in certain states, potentially putting them at risk.
He stated that “Maazi Kanayo specifically directed his potential kidnappers and killers to target Muslims of Igbo extraction living in Enugu, Ebonyi and Imo states. This is the last thing Nigeria needs at a time when the whole country faces serious insecurity.”
The organization further explained that some Igbo Muslims are traditional rulers, which could affect community stability if the threat is acted upon.
“This is an extremely dangerous dimension as the audio puts the lives of thousands of Igbo Muslims on the line. Some Igbo Muslims are traditional rulers in their communities and this implies the likelihood of communal turbulence in the South East,” the statement revealed.
The organisation called on security agencies to take proactive measures that will prevent harm.
“MURIC therefore calls on the security agencies, particularly men of the Department of State services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police to arrest, detain and prosecute Maazi Kanayo. Every minute counts as the lives of thousands of people hang in the balance,” according to Akintola.