MURIC’s Claim about Mangu Mosque Misleading, Devilish says Mwaghavul Youth Movement

The Leadership of the Mwaghavul Youth Movement has described the allegations leveled by Prof. Ishaq Akintola of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) as misleading and devilish.

The apex Mwaghavul Youth Body made this known in a statement signed by their Media Secretary Tubwot Joel Sunday and made available to this medium in Jos on Friday 26th April 2024. The statement berated Prof Akintola for his utterance, stressing that they were unbecoming of a “supposed father, grandfather, and religious leader”. They called on MURIC members to advise Prof Akintola to choose his words carefully regarding the realities in Mangu LGA of Plateau State.

They described as impossible the allegations by Prof Akintola that the District Authority in Mangu facilitated the conversion of the Bungha Jama’at Mosque in Mangu LGA into a market place after its destruction by those Prof Akintola described as “Christian Militia”, which according to them could not happened in Mangu or anywhere else in Nigeria. They described the threat of a religious war by Prof Akintola if the mosque is not rebuilt as criminal, senseless, barbaric and unbecoming of a Professor.

The group said that the Mangu Market which is located in a Muslim dominated area remains unsafe for all non-muslims following the recent religious unrest in the area, which necessitated non-muslims to resort to transacting their businesses at the Bungha Market.

The Full Statement is presented as received;
RE: REBUILD, RETURN MOSQUE CONVERTED TO MARKET – IS MURIC NOT A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION?

The leadership of the Mwaghavul Youth Movement is saddened by the press statement issued on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, by the Founder and Executive Director of Muslim Rights Concern, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, a supposed father, grandfather, and religious leader.
The statement exemplifies the “10th Warning Sign of a Very Bad Professor” (Jeremy S. Hyman and Lynn F. Jacobs, January 6, 2010). Prof. Ishaq Akintola has once again demonstrated that he is a professor who only focuses on his notes, never engaging with his students or considering their questions, submissions, or suggestions. In this case, the members of Muslim Rights Concern, led by Prof. Ishaq, are the students, including good Muslims who would have advised him to choose his words carefully regarding the realities in Mangu LGA, Plateau State.

Prof. Ishaq’s claim that the District Authority facilitated the conversion of the Bungha Juma’at Mosque in Mangu Local Government into a market place after its destruction by Christian Militias is impossible. This could not have happened in Mangu or anywhere else in the country. A closer analysis of MURIC’s statement suggests that they blame Christians on the Plateau for the endless violence in the state.
However, there is no group known or operating as ‘Christian Militias’ in Mangu LGA, and neither the Mwaghavul Youth nor the Christian Community has been associated with violence.

MURIC’s claim about the mosque converted to a market in Bungha, Mangu LGA, is misleading and devilish. It reveals the hidden tenets of the organization. Their position does not represent the true narrative behind the religious crises in the LGA. Instead, they quickly defend their faith, ignoring the danger such stories pose.

As we have previously stated, over 40 churches belonging to different Christian denominations have been destroyed and desecrated by the faceless Mangu Concern Muslim Consultative Forum, believed to be members of Prof. Ishaq Akintola’s organization/faith since last year. MURIC’s demand for the immediate rebuilding of the mosque and their threat of a religious war if refused is criminal, senseless, barbaric, and unbecoming of a professor.

The Mangu Market, located in a Muslim dominated community till this Friday morning, remains unsafe for the Christians because of the recent religious crises, hence resorting to transacting thier businesses at the Bungha market. If MURIC must forget anything, it shouldn’t be the fact that the Christian Community in Mangu are also humans and alive to feeling the excruciating pains her members have caused the Christians.

It is verifiable that most Christians in the Muslim-dominated parts of the community were killed, displaced, or had their houses burnt or occupied by members of Muslim Rights Concern during the religious crises in Mangu town. The destroyed churches remain inaccessible, and the mosque’s premise is being used. It is unfortunate that while efforts are being made to return peace to Mangu, a locality known for peaceful coexistence, MURIC and its partners in fueling violence seek to truncate these efforts.

We wonder why a religious organization like MURIC, led by a professor, would take sides and cast aspersions on Christians without researching and being truthful about the root cause of the disturbance.

While we call on the Nigerian Government to investigate MURIC’s activities and Prof. Akintola’s public engagements, we appeal to every member of the Mwaghavul Youth Movement and all our sympathizers both within and outside Mangu LGA to remain calm, peaceful, and equally stand firm in the defense of the sanctity and integrity of our culture and tradition.

Tubwot Joel Sunday
Media Secretary,
Mwaghavul Youth Movement
April 26, 2024.