The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has faulted the recent redesignation of Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” by former U.S. President Donald Trump, describing it as “blurred, misplaced and distorted.”
MURIC, in a statement signed by its Founder and Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, on Saturday, accused the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) of being behind the move, alleged that some Christian leaders misled the U.S. government through false petitions about Christian genocide in the country.
Akintola said, “There can be no smoke without fire. The Americans may have their own agenda, but some Nigerians gave them the green light. Certain Christian leaders wrote frivolous petitions to the U.S. Congress claiming that Christians were the only ones being killed by terrorists in Nigeria, and instead of debunking this narrative, CAN amplified it.”
He expressed disappointment over CAN’s role, calling it “a stab in the back” considering what he described as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s favourable treatment of Christians in appointments and privileges.
“CAN’s action is a stab in the back in view of President Tinubu’s preference of Christians in appointments, favours and privileges over and above his Muslim brethren,” Akintola said. “The President himself confirmed that 62% of all appointments went to the Christians. The First Lady, Senator Remi Tinubu, was even more generous than Father Christmas. In spite of all that, they still deemed it fit to take Nigeria to the enabler of Gaza genocide.”
The Islamic rights group maintained that Tinubu “does not deserve this,” calling the development “the mother of all betrayals” and condemning those behind the report “in the strongest terms.”
