The Nigerian Supreme Council For Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has expressed fear that if care is not taken, the ongoing protest across the may snowball into religious crisis that may be difficult for government to control.
The Council based its fears on the alleged destruction of Muslim worship centres in some parts of South East and South South states. NSCIA in a statement released in Abuja, on Friday, indicated that Mosques and Muslim worshippers are now the targets of protesters’ violence in those parts of the country.
The statement which was signed Femi Abbas, Chairman, Media Committee of NSCIA, added, “for instance, the Central Mosque in Orlu, Imo State, was viciously attacked and burnt down on October 21, 2020, with one Muslim worshipper callously killed, while four others were terribly injured by the so-called ‘peaceful protesters’.
“Those injured are now in hospital receiving treatment with little hope for survival. But before the mayhem was fully unleashed on the Mosque, the personal belongings of the worshippers met therein were carted away in a gangsteric style of predators.
“NSCIA is well informed that the Muslims in those regions are now living in fear of uncertainty, having been marked for possible annihilation or massacre, for practicing a religion other than Christianity. The danger is that a precedent is being aggressively set for a religious war, the consequences of which no one can predict with precision.
“NSCIA hereby call on Governors of the South East and South South to quickly step into the matter with a view to checkmating the dangerous trend immediately and ensure the lives and property of Muslims in their respective states are secured.
“As a country, Nigeria has enough political and economic problems to grapple with, already. Therefore, adding religious dimension to the problems may spell doom.”
The Council, however, alerted the Inspector General of Police on the dangerous development, expressing fear that escalation may precipitate a deleterious situation for Nigeria.
“In matters of provocation and aggression, the NSCIA has been patient enough, but it cannot be forced to go beyond its elasticity limit as an apex religious body with millions of worshippers as its members,” it added. The Sun.
