By Akinwale Kasali
The Director of Muslims Rights Concern, MURIC, Prof. Ishaq Akintoye, has been warned to desist from dividing the country along religious lines and sentiments based on his statements.
Pastor Tareri Avwomakpa, the National Coordinator, Christians Rights Group, Nigeria CRGN, lamented that MURIC has made it a duty and habit to continually harass Christians lawfully propagating their faith.
The lawyer turned Pastor condemned, in strong terms, and in its entirety, the recent comment by Prof Akintoye urging authorities of the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, to stop members of Christ Embassy Church from turning its premises to Christian camps.
He said the allegation by Akintoye and his Organization that distributing Christian handbills and leaflets at the premises of NPA and train stations are plots to christianize the country are false, a witch hunt and plot to divide Nigeria across religious lines.
A statement by CRGN, signed by its coordinator, Pastor Avwomakpa, warned the MURIC boss to exercise restraint and conduct himself and his organisation within the rule of law in his desire to advance the cause of Islam in Nigeria.
The Group maintained that the action of those being accused by the Muslims activist was lawful under section 38 of the Nigeria Constitution which guarantees freedom to propagate one’s religion.
“Mr. Ishaq Akintoye should desist from further insulting the sensibilities of Christians and other well-meaning Nigerians.
“From the inception of the President Muhamadu Buhari’s administration in 2015, Mr Ishaq Akintoye has made several publications that have deepened the religious divides between Christians and Muslims in Nigeria.
“He has by his comments advocated the advancement of jihad in the form of appointing only Muslims as heads of government agencies as well as violent killings of occupants of Christian communities and taking over their lands in several villages in the North East, North Central, and other hitherto peaceful parts of Nigerian which the jihadists could not conquer before independence”, the statement read.
Avwomakpa, Senior Clergyman with Christ Missionaries Crusaders Church in Delta State, called on the Federal Government to interrogate the Muslim cleric in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s
61st Independence Day speech that his administration would go after all leaders who instigate violence by their utterances.
“If the president and his handlers were sincere to the Nigerian people, the MURIC Director and the likes of Sheik Gumi, the Islamic cleric should have been cautioned and dealt with by today.
“Unfortunately the government has continued to maintain double standards in addressing these issues. The practice today is that when Muslim leaders make inflammatory statements or issue direct threats leading to the death of christians the government and its security agencies keep mute.
“However when Christians rise up to condemn the killings and venture to retaliate such cruel killings, the government springs up to condemn us counter-attack and deployed the military who have often been accused of religious biases.
“Then the DSS suddenly rises up to invite and interrogate Christian leaders for speaking up against such killings. You cannot run a divisive government in a multi ethno-religious nation like Nigeria and expect the people to live in peace and harmony. Nobody has a monopoly on violence.
“This accounts for the different uprisings in nigeria today. The likes of Mr Ishaq Akintoye should have long been arrested and prosecuted for making decisive and inflammatory remarks which have caused setback to the unity of Nigeria.
“Noticeably, political leaders and military dictators of the Muslim faith who have had opportunity to lead Nigeria have continually acted in contravention of the terms agreed upon by the founding fathers and the colonial masters as bases for a United Nigeria in the process leading to the attainment of Independence on 1st October, 1960.
“Assuming that the MURIC Director be taken seriously in his outbursts that sharing Christians handbills in public transport facilities is an agenda to christianize Nigeria, may I remind him that it is unconstitutional to print Islamic Arabic inscription in the Nigerian currency.
“He should be reminded that it is also unconstitutional to have Islamic Arabic inscriptions in the logo of the Nigerian Army. It is unconstitutional to register Nigeria as a member of the Organization of Islamic Conference using state funds.
“It is unlawful for a Governor to deploy state funds to build mosques and to finance the breaking of fast during Ramadan. It is unconstitutional and a threat to the unity of Nigeria to implement Sharia law beside Sharia personal law in any part of Nigeria.
“It is unlawful for Muslims to vacate their offices and shot government’s institutions during working hours to attend prayers. Nigerian Christians have suffered enough of the harassment and killings. The MURIC Director and his sponsors should put a end to their actions and let sleeping dog lie”, Avwomakpa said.
