The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has strongly criticised proposed United States sanctions targeting prominent Muslim figures and organisations in Nigeria, describing the move as “lopsided, unjust and selective.”
Five U.S. lawmakers last week introduced a bill seeking visa bans and asset freezes against former Kano State Governor and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) leader, Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, as well as the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) and Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, among others.
In a statement published Thursday on its website and titled “US sanctions on Muslim figures in Nigeria ‘lopsided’ – MURIC,” the group’s Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, argued that the proposed sanctions single out Muslim individuals and organisations while overlooking alleged abuses committed by others.
“We take the decision of the US Congress to sanction Muslims alone with a pinch of salt. It amounts to scapegoating, preconceived judgement and crusade-brandishing,” Akintola said.
He contended that both Muslim and Christian extremists have been responsible for violence in Nigeria and insisted that any international action must be “comprehensive and unbiased, not selective and lopsided.”
MURIC further alleged that abuses by certain state actors and militia groups in parts of Southern and North Central Nigeria have not received equivalent scrutiny.
The group said it has documented cases of alleged discrimination, marginalisation and denial of religious freedoms affecting Muslims and expressed willingness to present its records to international bodies if given the opportunity.
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Akintola also accused U.S. officials of favouring Christian voices in engagements relating to Nigeria, arguing that balanced consultation is essential for fairness and justice.
“We nurse the suspicion that even US officials have always preferred to listen to Nigerian Christians without seeking to hear from Muslims to balance the stories,” he said, invoking the legal principle of audi alteram partem — hear the other side.
While emphasising that Nigerian Muslims have no hostility toward the United States, MURIC urged American lawmakers to conduct broader consultations before imposing sanctions.
“This is why the US needs to do more findings before labeling or sanctioning law-abiding and peace-loving Nigerian Muslims,” Akintola stated.
The proposed sanctions come amid heightened international concern over insecurity and sectarian violence in parts of Nigeria.
As debate intensifies, stakeholders say any external measures must carefully weigh complex local dynamics to avoid deepening divisions in Africa’s most populous nation.