Muslim leaders from Nigeria’s South West region gathered in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Wednesday for a peaceful demonstration opposing any military alliance between Nigeria and Israel. The protesters waved Nigerian and Palestinian flags in a show of solidarity, with brandished placards and banners with bold messages like “United Nations must stand for the freedom of Palestinians,” “Nigeria unites for Palestine,” “Support freedom and justice for Palestinian nation,” “No more massacre in Palestine,” “Free Palestine, boycott Israel,” and “Humanity must rise against Zionist Movement.”
The protest followed a press conference hosted by Aqasoh Nigeria’s Ibadan branch, spotlighting the dire humanitarian crisis and starvation in Gaza. The event called for an immediate halt to the Israeli genocide in Palestine.
Prominent Muslim organizations, including the Muslim Media Practitioners of Nigeria (MMPN), Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN), The Muslim Congress (TMC), Almumeenat Organisation, and Muslim Rights Concerns (MURIC), joined the protest.
In an interview with journalists, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, Executive Director of MURIC, condemned Israel’s actions, stating, “After Israel has bombed schools, churches, and mosques, destroyed media houses, and bombed even tents where displaced Gazans seek refuge from cold, Israel has killed 238 media workers, and 2,000 killed in an attempt to get food.”
“As of yesterday (Tuesday), 266 children starved in Gaza, artificial famine and blockade include 112 children, 60 people were killed yesterday, making the number so far butchered since October 7, 2023, to be 62,064,” he added.
Akintola decried the genocide saying, “These are human beings, not chickens. Israel has turned a hospital, a place of refuge, into a place of death, while ceasefire talks were ongoing in Qatar and recently in Egypt. The death toll keeps increasing in Gaza due to the IDF.”
He criticized Israel’s disregard for human rights, noting, “Israel’s violation of rights has no limit, and animals’ rights are more respected than that of the rights of the Palestinians.”
Questioning Nigeria’s potential alliance with Israel, he asked, “How would Nigeria have a security alliance with this genocidal state of Israel? How would our government be romancing an apartheid state known to be foremost in committing crimes against humanity? Would such a state be sincere in combating crime in its true sense?”
Akintola urged the Nigerian government to reconsider its stance, stating, “In the interest of justice and true spirit of shared humanity, the federal government, as a matter of urgency, must stop the proposed security alliance or romance in whatever capacity with the apartheid state of Israel and boycott its economic relations, and sever its diplomatic ties with the State of Israel.
Among the participants were renowned Islamic scholars such as Dr. Dawud Amoo-Alaga, founder of Anaajah Arabic Institute, Sheikh Abdulwaheed Abdul Hamid, President of the Council of Ulamah, Sheikh Abdul Fatah Sanni of the Supreme Council for Shariah in Nigeria, and Chief Imam of Eruwaland, and Sheikh Bilal Shittu, were present, among others.
The protest comes in response to recent talks between Nigeria’s Ministry of Defence and Israeli Ambassador Michael Freeman, who visited the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja to discuss deepening military ties. The ministry emphasized that the partnership would enhance defence cooperation amid evolving global security challenges, focusing on joint operations, knowledge sharing, and defence modernization, with plans to finalize a new bilateral defence pact to boost technical collaboration in the defence industry.
Leave a comment