The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has strongly condemned the gruesome killing of the Benue State Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Alhaji Ardo Risku Muhammad, called on security agencies to launch an immediate, thorough and transparent investigation into the incident.
In a statement issued on Sunday and signed by the Chairman of MURIC’s Kano State chapter and Coordinator for Northern States and Abuja, Malam Hassan Sani Indabawa, the Islamic human rights group described the killing as a deliberate attempt to undermine ongoing peace efforts in Benue State.
According to MURIC, the slain MACBAN chairman was murdered on Friday, June 26, 2026, while returning from a peace meeting convened by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ohinmini Local Government Area. The group alleged that after being shot, his body was mutilated in what it described as a “gruesome” act intended to provoke chaos and reprisals.
The organisation described Ardo Muhammad as a respected community leader, peace advocate and philanthropist, stressing that his death was not only a loss to his community but also a threat to the fragile peace process in the state.
MURIC warned that targeted killings of this nature had, in the past, triggered cycles of violence and reprisals in Benue and Plateau states, urging authorities to act swiftly to prevent a recurrence.
“It is necessary for the security agencies to investigate and bring those responsible for this dastardly act to justice before other aggrieved parties resort to reprisals,” the statement read.
The group further alleged that the perpetrators sought to deepen ethnic and religious divisions in the North for destructive purposes and called on security agencies to identify and prosecute those behind the attack within a reasonable time.
MURIC reaffirmed its commitment to dialogue over violence and urged all stakeholders to remain calm while allowing security agencies to carry out a comprehensive investigation into the killing.
