The Islamic rights group says Nigerian media platforms are promoting one-sided narratives on alleged Christian genocide while denying Muslims fair hearing.

By Sadiq Abdulfatah

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has raised strong concerns over what it describes as the exclusion of Islamic scholars and Nigerian Muslims from ongoing media discussions surrounding claims of a “Christian genocide.”

In a statement issued on Saturday, 6th December 2025, and signed by its Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, the group faulted the Nigerian press—particularly television, radio, and print—for drifting away from balance, fairness, and professionalism. MURIC said the media’s approach has created a path of exclusivity that sidelines Muslim voices despite being the group directly accused in the narrative.

MURIC cited a recent interview granted by News Central to Reverend Ezekiel Dachomo on or around 10th November 2025, during which the cleric made extensive allegations centred on a supposed genocide linked to the Muslim-Muslim ticket. According to MURIC, despite these accusations, the station has not invited any Muslim scholar from Dachomo’s area to provide a response—an act the group described as unfair and unprofessional.

The organization noted that Muslims from Dachomo’s community, under the Mangu Concerned Muslim Consultative Forum (MCMCF), have already publicly debunked his claims, asserting instead that Christians in the North Central have carried out systematic genocide against Muslims for 25 years. It referenced published reports from Daily Post and Daily Trust.

MURIC argued that media houses often neglect their corporate responsibility to reduce tension and prevent public incitement. It warned that litigations may soon extend to platforms found guilty of negligence or complicity in inflammatory reporting.

The group further lamented the general decline in professionalism within Nigeria’s media landscape, pointing out that interviewers routinely host individuals who promote the “Christian genocide” narrative without inviting Muslims to offer counter-arguments. MURIC questioned why the media consistently features Christian voices from the North Central but refuses equal representation to Muslims from the same zone.

The statement stressed that Muslims have long reported mass killings by terrorists in Sokoto, Borno, Katsina, Zamfara, Kano, Kebbi and Yobe—regions where victims are overwhelmingly Muslim—yet national media rarely amplifies their voices. It insisted that most broadcast stations have correspondents in these Muslim-majority states, but Nigerians remain deprived of hearing from them.

MURIC condemned what it described as the media’s habit of “shaving the heads of Muslims in their absence,” arguing that this contradicts the principle of balanced reporting and fosters public indoctrination against Islam. It warned that such patterns can ignite riots due to heightened incitement.

Calling on key regulatory bodies—including the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Nigerian Press Council (NPC) and the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON)—MURIC demanded urgent intervention to restore fairness before the situation escalates further.

The organisation insisted that the ongoing genocide debate lacks legitimacy because Muslims, who form a significant portion of the population and are the group being accused, have been locked out of the conversation. It stressed that Muslims are being framed, gagged, oppressed, and rendered voiceless by the media’s approach.

MURIC emphasized that ownership or influence within the media does not give anyone the right to deny Muslims fair hearing, noting that audi alteram partem is a fundamental principle. The group concluded by asking: “When will the media hear from the Muslims?”