The Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC an Islamic civil rights activist group has demanded the arrest of Bosun Emmanuel, a pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG and David Oyedepo, founder of the Living Faith church also called Winners Chapel.
This, the group said, became important after the Christian clerics allegedly “whip up religious sentiment using baseless, unfounded and unreliable allegations.”
Ishaq Akintola, MURIC director during a press conference held at the group’s headquarters on Tuesday alleged that the Christian leaders have uttered statements capable of inciting Nigerians against one another.
Making reference to an audio-visual message by Emmanuel, which has gone viral on various media, Akintola said Emmanuel’s claim, among others, that Muslims and Islam are a common enemy that needed to be defeated, is uncalled for.
Akintola added that Oyedepo, in another development was quoted as saying, “Spill the blood of every Islamic Jihadist. If you catch anyone that looks like them, kill him.”
The MURIC director said “A simple analysis of the above statements from the pulpits of (the) two Christian clerics show that pastor Bosun Emmanuel has willfully incited Nigerian Christians against their Muslim compatriots. He has also deliberately misled them into believing that Nigerian Muslims have plotted to exterminate the Christians. Bishop Oyedepo has also openly encouraged Christians to spill the blood of Muslims. The phrase, ‘anyone that looks like them’ in his statement above is the most dangerous. No other interpretation can be more suitable for this phrase than any Muslim you can find.”
The Muslims group’s director called on the presidency, the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, and the international community not to ignore the development and take necessary steps.
He maintained that the best way to call the Christian leaders to order and avoid such utterances in the future is to summon them and make them sign an undertaking wherein they will pledge to refrain from and keep their followers from any act capable of disrupting law and order in the country.
He emphasized that Nigerian Muslims condemn terrorism and urged all Nigerians to live together peacefully irrespective of their faiths.
Akintola also urged Nigerians to be guided by their conscience while casting their votes in the forthcoming elections. “Let us shun religious bigotry and ethnic jingoism. Let us rescue Nigeria from the jaws of the two zealots: the Christian fanatics and the Muslim extremists,” he said.
While speaking with the magazine at the end of the conference, Akintola said Muslims decided to keep mute over the matter at first to prevent upheavals in the country but the need to take action rose so as to assure Muslims of their safety.
He said authorities should not overlook the case as if nothing happened and should ignore denial made by some persons on behalf of the Living Faith church leader.
“If relevant bodies fail to promptly take necessary steps, then we Muslims would have to seek legal action. That is very important to assure the Muslims that they are safe,” Akintola said.
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