Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) urges urgent action as violence claims lives and terrorizes communities

By Sadiq Abdulfatah

In a press release issued by the Kebbi State chapter of Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), the organization expressed deep concern over the recent wave of violence in the state, including the abduction of 25 schoolgirls and the killing of peaceful citizens. The press release reads:

ABDUCTION OF 25 SCHOOL GIRLS: MURIC CALLS FOR DECISIVE ACTION

Sunday to Monday, the 16th – 17th of November, 2025 are the saddest days in Kebbi State in recent time.

The killing of peaceful citizens in Makirin village and mass abductions of 25 female students at Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, have created a climate of disbelief, uncertainty and shock.

MURIC find this disturbing, barbaric and inhumane.

Two tragic incidents occurred in the spate of 24 hours in Kebbi State. The Ameer of the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria, Yauri Area Council, Malam Alqasim Uthman Ibrahim, was kidnapped earlier in the day. But he was killed within a few hours.

The sad news was immediately followed by the abduction of 25 schoolgirls from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi State.

MURIC Kebbi State chapter strongly condemns these criminal acts. They are egregious, callous and cowardly. They constitute grave violation of human rights, an assault on education and a huge threat to national security.

We equally denounce the gruesome killing of the vice principal, a Muslim, Mallam Hassan Makuku and the injury inflicted on the school’s guard. We stand in solidarity with the abducted girls, their families, teachers, and the entire community.

MURIC calls on the Federal Government, Kebbi state government and all relevant security agencies to intensify and sustain search-and-rescue operations, leveraging on intelligence, military, police, and local resources. The Presidential directive to the security agencies to locate and bring back the abducted students safely, and to prosecute those responsible must not be taken with levity. Citizens must see reason to trust in the government’s capacity to protect its citizens.

It is laughable that some people have said that the unfortunate incident occurred in a ‘Christian enclave’. That is far from the truth. There is actually no Christian enclave as such in Kebbi. The vice principal who was killed was a Muslim. People can also see from television footages that the parents who have been visiting the school since the incident are all clad in hijab. They are Muslims.

The federal government needs to treat banditry especially mass kidnappings, as a top-tier national security threat, not just a localized criminal matter. We want to lay emphasis on the need for the government to ensure that those who carried out the abduction as well as their collaborators are arrested and prosecuted.

The legislative arm of government must strengthen the executive by enacting laws that will ensure punitive measures against banditry to act as a deterrent. Kidnapping for ransom must be met with clear and certain consequences. The judiciary should ensure the smooth administration of justice within a reasonable time using all judicial tools at its disposal. The executive must ensure that judgements are executed on the offenders no matter whose ox is gored.

We specifically call on Kebbi State Government to strengthen coordination with it’s neigbours (especially Kebbi, Zamfara, and Niger) to close safe routes used by bandits, since they often cross state lines. This should include enhancing the role of local hunter groups who know the terrain and can support rescue and patrol efforts.

We enjoin the government to deploy security personnel (military, police, and community vigilantes) to vulnerable border schools and remote communities, especially in areas with high risks of bandits’ incursions. Governments at all levels need to encourage community reporting in such a way that residents must feel safe and empowered to provide intelligence to security agencies.

We request that government and well-to-do individuals should provide support for the affected families: trauma counseling, educational support to the affected families.

Most importantly, however, Imams should activate alqunut prayers in all our mosques for peaceful repose of those killed, safe return of the abducted and continuous peace and tranquility in Kebbi State and the nation at large.

*To the religious extremists and other politically motivated groups, as well as ethnic jingoists, they should know that this incident happened in a Muslim-dominated area. The abduction is a purely criminal action that has no religious or ethnic dimension.*

This is not the time for playing politics or for exhibiting religious extremism. What is needed now is well coordinated and concerted efforts from all and sundry that will salvage Nigeria from the current crisis. We believe that solution must come from within Nigeria itself. We believe in the country’s capacity to navigate itself from the criss.

In conclusion, MURIC reiterates that the abduction of these 25 school girls in GGCSS, Maga, Kebbi state must not be seen as a local or isolated tragedy, it is a national crisis that demands urgent, decisive, and sustained action. We call on all stakeholders — government, security agencies, civil society and community leaders to respond with the seriousness and coordination that this moment demands. The safe return of these girls, and the prevention of future attacks, is not negotiable.

We pray that Allah will ameliorate our sufferings, return our country to safety and bless us with peace and stability.

MURIC, the Muslim Rights Concern, is a Nigerian non-governmental organization dedicated to protecting and promoting the rights of Muslims. It monitors incidents of discrimination, harassment, and injustice affecting the Muslim community and advocates for their social, legal, and religious interests.