The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has urged Muslims across Nigeria to heighten vigilance around mosques, markets and other crowded places following security alerts on planned terrorist attacks on worship centres.
The Islamic civil liberties organisation particularly advised Muslim communities to be on high alert before, during and after Friday Jumu’ah prayers and weekend asalatu gatherings.
MURIC’s Executive Director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, made the call in a statement issued on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, following alerts by the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police on planned attacks on worship centres.
Akintola urged mosque officials and Islamic organisations to engage the police and DSS, provide security agencies with information about planned programmes and strengthen private security arrangements.
He also advised mosque authorities to be wary of unfamiliar persons at gatherings and suspicious luggage, particularly backpacks, while encouraging worshippers to report suspicious individuals to security agencies.
According to him, mosque security guards should remain focused on their duties during prayers rather than joining the congregation, suggesting that they could organise separate prayer sessions after general prayers.
MURIC further recommended introducing prayer shifts in mosques, with at least five people keeping watch while another group prays, to improve surveillance and reduce vulnerability to attacks.
The organisation also advised worshippers on how to respond during an attack, urging them to lie flat at the first sound of gunfire and crawl towards exits rather than rush out, in order to minimise the risk of stampede.
It cautioned worshippers against rushing towards the scene of a bomb explosion, warning that doing so could expose them to possible secondary explosions.
Akintola rejected what he described as a fatalistic approach to security threats, stressing that Muslims must combine faith with practical precautionary measures.
He cited Islamic teachings to support the call for preparedness, saying Muslims should heed the warnings of security agencies and ensure that they were not caught unprepared.
MURIC also advised Muslims to report unusual financial transactions, suspicious persons and other activities that could attract security concerns to the appropriate authorities.
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The group called for increased vigilance in and around mosques, including restrictions on unknown persons and overnight stays, while urging mosque authorities to promptly report suspicious activities to the police.
Akintola said the security warnings should not be ignored, stressing that Muslim leaders and worshippers must sharpen their “survival instincts” and take reasonable precautions to protect lives and places of worship.
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