The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and the Muslim Right Concerns (MURIC) are two independent pressure groups created to protect the rights of Muslim in Nigeria and ensure that they are able to practice the tenets of their faith within the provisions of Nigerian and Islamic law.

With close to fifty percent of Nigerians identifying as Muslim, both the NSCIA and MURIC wield considerable influence over government and public offices. As a result, their input is sought routinely, especially on issues involving Muslims that might degenerate to acts that threaten the security of citizens within the country. The NSCIA is chaired the Sultan of Sokoto while MURIC is led by Professor Ishaq Akintola.

It is worrisome that these groups have refused to publicly comment on the continued illegal detention of the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky since 2015. MURIC and NSCIA have concerned themselves instead with issues that have little or nothing to do with Muslims in Nigeria as seen in their concerted effort to pressure the government of Myanmar to act in the interest of the persecuted Rohingya Muslim minorities, a crisis happening thousands of miles away from Nigeria, while Shi’ite Muslims in Kano and Kaduna face persecution from the Nigerian government.

The NSCIA and MURIC are composed predominantly of Sunni Muslims, while Zakzaky’s IMN, comprises of Shi’ites, who are in the minority in the country. But this difference should not be tenable enough for these groups to refuse to fight for Zakzaky’s release.

If El-Zakzaky was arrested by the Goodluck Jonathan Administration, all hell would have been let loose by MURIC and NSCIA. But since he is being incarcerated by President Buhari, a Sunni Muslim, they’ve kept mum.

What we are seeing is a brazen display of double standard which has cast a direct aspersions on the personality of people involved in this two groups. MURIC and NSCIA need to come to the outstanding that injustice to one, is injustice to all, and that the travails of Sheikh El-Zakzaky will come to hunt them and other Muslims be they Shi’ites or Sunnis in the future.

Editor