NIGERIA: Killing of Harira, her 4 children, one out of many ‘killings of Muslims in South East’ – SEMON

By KEMI KASUMU

“As a Muslim community, we are bemused at the silence of our co-religionists… In the case of Deborah Samuel, from the Sultan down to the local Imams, all went wild in condemning the killing. But when a Muslim family is wiped out by a proscribed terrorist group, christened IPOB/ESN and unknown gunmen in the South East there seems to be a deafening silence. Does it mean the minority South Eastern Muslims’ lives are worthless?”

The South Eastern Muslim Organisation (SEMON), while calling on Federal Government and Muslim Ummah of Nigeria to come to the aid of Muslims in Igbo Land, has called for declaration of a State of Emergency in the South East region for restoration of peace.

This was contained in a statement circulated on Monday May 31, 2022 but sent to The DEFENDER on Tuesday June 1, 2022 by the South Eastern Muslim group.

SEMON was speaking just as a source complained to this online newspaper how intolerant some Christians are towards Muslims when it comes to them seeking employment in organizations where they are in charge which he said never happens if Muslims were to be in such positions. “Is it the Bible that asks you not to help people unless they change their religion? Islam does not teach us that, and it is the reason you have seen that Dangote would never discriminate against Christian members of staff, same thing Abdulsamad Rabiu of BUA. It is too much for Christians, go to Lagos, entire Southern Nigeria and investigate. It is sad,” he said.

But in the case of SEMON, the situation in South East is worse, especially now that Muslims, of Igbo origin, are being told to their face that they can never be tolerated unless they remove their Islamic identity.

SEMON, which condemned the killing of Harira and her four children in Anambra, on Sunday May 22, 2022 condemned the selective condemnations on the part of those who are supposed to rise in support of the victims of persecution especially Chrisitian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the media, who would not make plights of Muslims heard to the point of getting assistance anywhere in Nigeria until the Muslim Ummah decided to stand up to their responsibility of speaking out and fighting for the rights of members.

“As expected, it never made such headline in print media and with other media houses. Was the brutal killing of innocent children alongside their pregnant mother committed in any Muslim majority state, it would be tagged Islamic religious act and the media would have figuratively caught fire. The leadership of South Eastern Muslim Organization of Nigeria is amazed at the double standard and unjust umpiring of the media in Nigeria,” SEMON said.

It said: “The killing of Harira Jibril (Wrongly circulated as Fatimah) aged 32 and her four Children aged between 2 and 9 years old in cold blood without any provocation is one in a million killings the Igbo Muslim communities are faced with, often time swept the under carpet by the eastern media network. As usual, the killing is codified “Hausa woman” in other to pacify the anger of the indigenous Igbo Muslims in the state. This is a systematic genocide that need to be nipped off before it intensifies beyond control. We call on the relevant government agencies to come to our aid and stop this genocide against our people in the name of religion.

“The Nigeria Muslim leadership in their political naiveté trunked to different media outlets to condemn the killing of Deborah Samuel lest they are branded Islamist, Fundamentalists, Terrorist, etc. That was one individual who in a way, although her killing is not justified in any form here, incited public anger.

“We expected some form of media brouhaha from Human Right activists and CSO gladiators. Unfortunately, there has not been condemnations of the cold blood murder of a pregnant woman and her four innocent children from CAN crusaders, Women activists, the FFKs, the Igbo traditional leaders and not to talk of the Igbo Political Leaders who seem to be cashing in on the uprising at the detriment of the populace.

“As a Muslim community, we are bemused at the silence of our co-religionists and the so called Muslim Leadership of Nigeria. In the case of Deborah Samuel, from the Sultan down to the local Imams, all went wild in condemning the killing. But when a Muslim family is wiped out by a proscribed terrorist group, christened IPOB/ESN and unknown gunmen in the South East there seems to be a deafening silence. Does it mean the minority South Eastern Muslims’ lives are worthless? We call for equity and fair treatment. This is atrocity against humanity irrespective of Harira’s Faith.

“However, the South Eastern Muslim Organization of Nigeria (SEMON), the umbrella body of Igbo Muslim nation has always advocated for peace and in unequivocal terms:

“1. Condemn in no little measure, the murder of our sister, Hariri Jibril and her four innocent children in cold blood in the early hours of Monday 23rd May 2022. We demand justice for the slain pregnant mother and her next generation. We appeal to the Governments and security agents in all front to fish out the perpetrators of this heinous crime against humanity.

“2. We also call on the state governments of eastern Nigeria to exact proactive wisdom in rooting out these monstrous cannibals in the region that have not only crippled the economy of the region but has taken life out of our collective existence.

“3. We strongly appeal to the Federal Government of Nigeria and to the President Muhammadu Buhari as a matter of urgency to declare a state of emergency in all states of South East geopolitical zone.

“Notwithstanding, attempts to divide Igbo Muslim community in Igbo land on ethnic borderline with mendacious comments like “it is Hausa or Yoruba person” is antics of the criminal minded enemies of Islam in their concerted efforts to divide and conquer. The South Eastern Muslim Community is one and indivisible community. Attack on any member of the Eastern Muslim community is an attack on Igbo Muslim nation and in extension all Muslims of Nigeria and beyond. A Muslim is a brother of every other Muslim. The Igbo Muslims are a united body. Just as Deborah Samuel of a minority Christian community of the north became a Nigerian Christian, so also are Muslims who were killed in Igbo land regardless of their ethnic origin. They are Muslims of Nigeria.”