Terrorism knows no faith: MURIC decries religious bias in insecurity discourse

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has stated that “crime has no religious or ethnic colour,” in response to the abduction of 40 Muslim worshippers in a Zamfara mosque and the kidnapping of a Catholic bishop in Kogi State—both incidents occurring on Monday, 15th September, 2025.

In a strongly worded statement issued on Tuesday, 16th September, by its Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, MURIC warned against what it called “false and misleading” narratives that suggest only Christians are targeted by terrorists and bandits.

According to MURIC, gunmen stormed a mosque at Gidan Turbe village in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State during prayers and abducted 40 Muslims. On the same day, Reverend Father Wilfred Ezemba, bishop of St. Paul’s Catholic Church, was kidnapped in Kogi State.

“These two sad incidents which happened on the same day underline the fact that terrorists and bandits target no particular religion or ethnic group,” MURIC said. “All they are interested in is to seize human beings for pecuniary gain,” it added.

The group also referenced earlier attacks that resulted in the deaths of Muslims, including   that of 50 Muslims killed in Malunfashi, Katsina State on August 5, 2025.

It also cited the cases of 60 Muslims killed in Sabon Birni, Sokoto State in May 2020 and  more than 60 Muslims killed in Sokoto marketplace on October 18, 2021.

MURIC accused Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah of persistently pushing a “misleading” narrative of Islamisation and called on him to apologize for what it described as an ongoing campaign to portray Muslims as aggressors and Christians as the sole victims.

“The wind has blown and we have seen the ruff of the hen,” Akintola said, insisting that both Muslims and Christians are victims of terrorism and banditry in Nigeria.

He concluded by urging Nigerians to reject “merchants of fake news and entrepreneurs of falsehood” and unite against the real enemies—criminals who operate without regard for faith or ethnicity.