Seat of Caliphate Under Threat, Stop Sokoto Killings — MURIC to Defence Minister

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has called on the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), to urgently mobilise resources and manpower to halt the rising killings, kidnappings and other violent crimes across the country, particularly in Sokoto State.

MURIC made the call in a statement issued on Saturday by its Executive Director, Professor Isiaq Akintola.

The group expressed concern over the recent killings of innocent residents in Sokoto, warning that the state was increasingly coming under siege as insecurity disrupts the lives and livelihoods of residents.

Akintola said farmers were becoming afraid to access their farms, while some villagers had been forced to seek safety outside their communities.

He added that residents in urban areas were also living in fear and sleeping “with one eye open” because of the worsening security situation.

“Killings and kidnappings around Nigeria have continued unabated. The level of insecurity has risen to an all-time high,” Akintola said.

He noted that terrorist activities had been particularly concentrated in Sokoto State over the past two years, describing the development as a serious threat to both national security and residents.

According to him, attacks in Sokoto have implications beyond the immediate communities affected because the state is historically regarded as the seat of the Nigerian Caliphate.

He argued that the continued attacks exposed weaknesses in the country’s security architecture and questioned the ability of security agencies to adequately protect citizens.

“We therefore hold the Nigerian Army responsible for the security lapses in and around Sokoto. We expect nothing less than an iron-clad defence mechanism in that axis,” he said.

MURIC urged the Defence Minister to take decisive action to restore security and prevent further loss of lives.