Muslim rights group condemns masquerades attack on Catholic priest
*Asks Police to stop excesses of traditionalists in Southern Nigeria
By Oluwatunmise
“Although the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Section 38 (i) & (ii) guarantees freedom of religion, thereby empowering traditionalists to freely practice their faith, it does not allow one group to lord itself over another. The right of traditionalists to religious freedom stops where it begins to encroach on others’ rights and vice versa,” MURIC said.
The Director of Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), Prof. Ishaq Akintola, has called for the prosecution of masqueraders, who attacked a Catholic seminarian in Nsukka on March 29.
The Catholic seminarian, Lawrence Ezeugwu, was attacked by masqueraders in Nsukka, and was beaten to coma at Ugwuoyia, Nsukka, Enugu State.
The group, in a statement issued on Tuesday, described the attack on the priest as “barbaric and crude” adding that it was barbaric and symptomatic of thuggery and hooliganism.
Akintola called on the Inspector-General of Police, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, to ensure that those who carried out the attack were fished out and punished under the law.
The Muslim Rights group’s director said in the statement that, “We call the attention of the Federal Government of Nigeria to the excesses of traditionalists, particularly in Southern Nigeria.
“Even in the South-West, the Oro cult worshippers behave as if they are above the law. Traditionalists impose illegal curfew without being challenged by the authorities.
“A good example is the curfew imposed by Oro cultists in Ikorodu, Lagos State, during the last Ramadan season, which nearly caused a violent clash between Muslims and traditionalists.
“It is well known that Muslims shuttle between the mosques and their homes day and night during Ramadan. The imposition of a curfew during such a period was not only illegal but also provocative.
“Although the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Section 38 (i) & (ii) guarantees freedom of religion, thereby empowering traditionalists to freely practice their faith, it does not allow one group to lord itself over another.
“The right of traditionalists to religious freedom stops where it begins to encroach on others’ rights and vice versa,” MURIC said.
Professor Akintola said that for genuine and enduring peace to thrive, Nigerians must learn to respect one another’s rights particularly religious rights.
He stressed that security agencies had a big role to play in this issue because cultists were getting more daring due to the “nonchalant attitude of security agents”.
The group further stressed the need for security agents to stop any illegally imposed curfew in the interest of law and order.
