MURIC Alerts on Rising Threats Against Yoruba Muslims in Southwest

By: Bayero Ade

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has raised an alarm over the increasing threats of violence directed at Yoruba Muslims in the South West region of Nigeria.

According to Afripost, in a statement issued on Friday, MURIC’s Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, urged the Inspector General of Police, the Director-General of the Department of State Security (DSS), and other relevant security agencies to take immediate action to prevent further escalation of the situation.

Akintola explained that the growing tensions in the region stem from contentious discussions about the implementation of Shari’ah law, which have made Yoruba Muslim leaders and their followers the target of rising threats, particularly on social media and other platforms.

“We feel compelled to bring this to the attention of the Inspector General of Police, the DSS, and all concerned security bodies, as there is a clear attempt to incite violence against Muslims in the South West,” Akintola said, warning that the situation was worsening as more groups continued to issue threats.

One of the latest threats, Akintola pointed out, came from Ahmed Saliu Olokoju, who claims to be the Secretary General of the relatively unknown Yoruba Islamic Salvation Front (YOISF). Olokoju recently released a statement titled “Shariah in Yorubaland: The Fulani Grand Plot to Destroy Yorubaland,” in which he accused Yoruba Muslims advocating for Shari’ah of being agents of the Fulani—a claim Akintola condemned as divisive and baseless.

Akintola also criticized Olokoju’s remarks, which included direct threats and calls for a “holy war” against those supporting Shari’ah law in the region. He emphasized the urgent need for the authorities to take swift action to prevent the threats from turning into violence.