The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has called on the Nigerian Army to fish out soldiers who mercilessly brutalised a Muslim woman in purdah with her husband in Iseyin, Oyo State, on Salah day on the 16th of June, 2024.
This was contained in a statement issued on Saturday 22nd June, 2024 by the Founder and Executive Director of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola.
In the statement released, MURIC Noted that it is in possession of video clips and the picture of one of the 20 soldiers who broke the heads of a Muslim woman in purdah and that of her husband and inflicted serious injuries on other Muslims.
Reports also indicate that the soldiers apprehended a young child, brutally slashed their hand with a knife, and took them away. The child was only released after a prominent chief from Iseyin, the Ikolaba of Iseyin, intervened and pleaded with the soldiers to free the child.
According to the statement, “We are in possession of video clips and the picture of one of the 20 soldiers who broke the heads of a Muslim woman in purdah and that of her husband and inflicted serious injuries on other Muslims.
“In addition, the soldiers seized a little child, cut open his hand with a knife and took him away.
It was one of the chiefs of Iseyin (the Ikolaba of Iseyin) who went to beg the soldiers before the child was released later. This is preposterous, barbaric and unacceptable. We demand justice.
“The incident occurred on Salah day, 16th June, 2024. The Muslim family was attacked as they prepared to slaughter their Salah ram on that day. The pastor of a church located opposite their house protested that the ram was placed in a position facing the church and immediately mobilised his congregation who invited soldiers from the barracks.
It was learnt that there has been a misunderstanding between the Muslim family and the church over noise pollution over which even the king of Iseyin had intervened.
“MURIC is aware that the Nigerian military authorities have maintained a good reputation among patriotic and truth-loving Nigerians mainly because they do not shield the bad eggs among them. We remind the army that this is another brutal attack on innocent civilian Muslims involved in a quarrel with a church. How can soldiers descend so heavily and so mercilessly on a poor and innocent Muslim family?
“This is an unjust, callous and inhuman behavior on the part of the 20 soldiers. We demand justice. We call on the army to investigate, apprehend and punish the belligerent military personnel involved in this atrocity without unnecessary delays. Justice delayed is justice denied.”
