The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has given a rather ridiculous
interpretation to the unfolding tragedy in Kano, suggesting that
the unusual death toll in the northwestern state could be “a
deliberate attempt” at decimating the population of Muslims in
Nigeria.
Kano State has seen a spike in mystery deaths in one week amid
COVID-19 threats.
With scant resources nationally and low capacity to test,
authorities are yet to determine if COVID-19 caused the deaths.
Public concerns have arisen over the situation in the state,
which now appears helpless, with Governor Abdullahi Ganduje
accusing the Federal Government of neglect.
In a statement on Monday, MURIC Director, Ishaq Akintola,
lamented the unusual deaths, saying Kano needed help urgently, and
then surprisingly brought a religious angle to the matter, warning
of a threat to the “majority status” Nigerian Muslims enjoy “in the
area of demography.”
“More disturbing is the rumour that the National Centre for
Disease Control (NCDC) in the state has locked up its offices and
its officials are not responding to distress calls,” the MURIC
director said.
“The only testing centre in Kano which is situated at the Aminu
Kano Teaching Hospital has also been allegedly locked up. So where
did NCDC get its figure on Kano? Something is fishy here. We are
surprised that testing centres are almost nonexistent in the
North.
“Is this a deliberate attempt at debilitating Northern
population with its attendant impact on Muslim majority population
in the country?
“We, therefore, demand an inquiry into circumstances surrounding
the alleged closure of NCDC office in Kano State as well as the
paucity of testing centres in the whole North.
“Nigerian Muslims are currently enjoying a majority status in
the area of demography. We must avoid anything capable of
decimating our population.
“We urge Kano citizens to strictly obey rules set by health
officials, particularly social distancing, washing hands regularly
with soap, using sanitizers and staying at home. You must break the
cycle of this killer virus.
“Above all, the government must be vicious to be triumphant.
Violators of lockdown rules must be dealt with according to the law
while the lockdown on Kano must not be lifted until the rate of
death slows down to a reasonable level.”
Mr Akintola is a professor and founder of MURIC, which he runs,
according to his personal website, for “protection and promotion of
the rights of Muslims in Nigeria.”
But contrary to his claim, there is no data indicating which
religion has more followers in Nigeria. The country had its last
census in 2006 and during that headcount, the National Population
Commission did not collect data on religious affiliations.
Mr Akintola has a reputation for using MURIC to make alarmist
claims, some of them false. In January, he tried to drive Muslims
against Amotekun, a popular south-west initiate to combat
insecurity. He tagged the initiative “an ostensibly anti-Muslim
security network (coming) into operation in Yorubaland.”
Many Nigerians, including Muslims, have repeatedly denounced Mr
Akintola’s MURIC rhetoric, warning him to rise above bigotry and
instead promote harmonious co-existence by adherents of all
religions as espoused by the Holy Quran.
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has given a rather ridiculous
interpretation to the unfolding tragedy in Kano, suggesting that
the unusual death toll in the northwestern state could be “a
deliberate attempt” at decimating the population of Muslims in
Nigeria.
Kano State has seen a spike in mystery deaths in one week amid
COVID-19 threats.
With scant resources nationally and low capacity to test,
authorities are yet to determine if COVID-19 caused the deaths.
Public concerns have arisen over the situation in the state,
which now appears helpless, with Governor Abdullahi Ganduje
accusing the Federal Government of neglect.
In a statement on Monday, MURIC Director, Ishaq Akintola,
lamented the unusual deaths, saying Kano needed help urgently, and
then surprisingly brought a religious angle to the matter, warning
of a threat to the “majority status” Nigerian Muslims enjoy “in the
area of demography.”
“More disturbing is the rumour that the National Centre for
Disease Control (NCDC) in the state has locked up its offices and
its officials are not responding to distress calls,” the MURIC
director said.
“The only testing centre in Kano which is situated at the Aminu
Kano Teaching Hospital has also been allegedly locked up. So where
did NCDC get its figure on Kano? Something is fishy here. We are
surprised that testing centres are almost nonexistent in the
North.
“Is this a deliberate attempt at debilitating Northern
population with its attendant impact on Muslim majority population
in the country?
“We, therefore, demand an inquiry into circumstances surrounding
the alleged closure of NCDC office in Kano State as well as the
paucity of testing centres in the whole North.
“Nigerian Muslims are currently enjoying a majority status in
the area of demography. We must avoid anything capable of
decimating our population.
“We urge Kano citizens to strictly obey rules set by health
officials, particularly social distancing, washing hands regularly
with soap, using sanitizers and staying at home. You must break the
cycle of this killer virus.
“Above all, the government must be vicious to be triumphant.
Violators of lockdown rules must be dealt with according to the law
while the lockdown on Kano must not be lifted until the rate of
death slows down to a reasonable level.”
Mr Akintola is a professor and founder of MURIC, which he runs,
according to his personal website, for “protection and promotion of
the rights of Muslims in Nigeria.”
But contrary to his claim, there is no data indicating which
religion has more followers in Nigeria. The country had its last
census in 2006 and during that headcount, the National Population
Commission did not collect data on religious affiliations.
Mr Akintola has a reputation for using MURIC to make alarmist
claims, some of them false. In January, he tried to drive Muslims
against Amotekun, a popular south-west initiate to combat
insecurity. He tagged the initiative “an ostensibly anti-Muslim
security network (coming) into operation in Yorubaland.”
Many Nigerians, including Muslims, have repeatedly denounced Mr
Akintola’s MURIC rhetoric, warning him to rise above bigotry and
instead promote harmonious co-existence by adherents of all
religions as espoused by the Holy Quran.