Media Group Urges Security Agencies to Probe Alleged Threats Against Igbo Muslims in South East
A Muslim media advocacy group has called on Nigeria’s top security authorities to urgently investigate alleged threats and intimidation directed at Igbo Muslims in the South East, warning that failure to act could trigger a wider crisis.
The Muslim Media Watch Group of Nigeria (MMWG) made the call on the National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu; the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (rtd); and the Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Kayode Egbetokun, to intervene following reports of inciting messages targeting Igbo Muslims in the region.
The group raised the alarm over the circulation of audio clips allegedly voiced by one Mazi Kanayo, in which Igbo citizens were reportedly urged to abduct Igbo Muslims and kill them by burying them alive. MMWG described the content as dangerous and capable of inciting violence along religious lines.
In a statement jointly signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Dr. Yusuf Agbabiaka, and the Enugu State Coordinator, Ustaz Isa Christian Okonkwo, the organisation expressed concern over what it described as the silence of key institutions, including the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services (DSS), Ohaneze Ndigbo, South East state governments and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
According to the statement, such silence persists “despite the provisions in Section 35 of the Constitution which guarantees freedom of worship and association for every Nigerian.”
The group stressed that Islam has a long history in Igboland, noting that the religion has existed in the area for nearly 200 years. It cited the Islamic Centre in Afikpo, Ebonyi State, established about 72 years ago by the late Alhaji Ibrahim Nwagui, which it said has trained thousands of Muslim youths who have gone on to become academics, professionals and scholars.
MMWG warned that threats to the lives of Igbo Muslims pose grave security risks and urged security agencies to trace and investigate a group reportedly operating under the name “Ohaukwu Reporters,” accused of sending electronic messages containing threats, hate speech and calls to violence.
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The statement added that Enugu State, particularly Nsukka, has been a focal point of the threats, with the life of an Islamic scholar and Imam of Alor-Agu in Igbo-Eze Local Government Area, Imam Sirajudeen Ugwu Nwansukka, allegedly under threat.
Questioning what it described as the apparent inaction of security agencies, the group asked whether authorities were waiting for what it termed an “operation to kill Igbo Muslims” to commence before responding. It urged the police and other security outfits in the South East to act proactively rather than reactively, warning that delayed responses have often worsened security challenges in the country.
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