MURIC Condemns Lukuwa Stabbing, Mob Killing, Demands Immediate Full Investigation
The Muslim rights group calls for probes into the attack on Sheikh Musa Lukuwa, the killing of his alleged attacker and controversial statements attributed to the Sokoto cleric.
By Abdullahi Yusuf
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), Sokoto State Chapter, has condemned both the knife attack on Islamic scholar Sheikh Musa Lukuwa and the subsequent mob killing of the man suspected of carrying out the attack.
In a statement issued on Saturday and signed by its Sokoto State Chairman, Dr. Muhammad Mansur Aliyu, the group called for a thorough investigation into both incidents, insisting that neither controversial religious speech nor alleged provocation can justify violence or the taking of a life outside due process.
Lukuwa was stabbed shortly after leading Jumu’at prayers at Lukuwa Mosque in the Mabera area of Sokoto metropolis on September 11. The Sokoto State Police Command said the attacker inflicted deep cuts on the cleric before being overpowered and lynched by an angry mob before security operatives could intervene. Police said Lukuwa survived the attack and was subsequently discharged after receiving treatment.
MURIC said the circumstances surrounding the incident required the law to operate against both violence and any conduct that may have contributed to the tensions surrounding the cleric.
MURIC raises concerns over Lukuwa’s statements
The organisation said it was in possession of video recordings of several recent statements attributed to Lukuwa, which it said raised concerns about the content, tone and possible implications of some of his public preaching.
According to MURIC, the recordings allegedly contain statements in which Lukuwa compared tawassul through Prophet Muhammad (SAW) with tawassul involving refuse dumps; advocated what the organisation described as a minority theological position concerning the status of the Prophet’s parents; and made statements which, MURIC alleged, suggested an intention to demolish or destroy the tomb of Sheikh Usman Dan Fodiyo in Sokoto.
MURIC also alleged that Lukuwa used insulting language against the Sultan of Sokoto and made statements concerning the judiciary and the Sokoto State Ministry of Justice which, in the organisation’s view, could undermine public confidence in established institutions.
These allegations were presented by MURIC as matters requiring investigation; they have not been independently established by the police in the sources reviewed for this report.
The group said religious freedom should be exercised alongside responsibility to avoid incitement, insult, provocation and statements capable of threatening public peace.
It added that its condemnation of provocative preaching applied regardless of the religious school of thought of the person involved.
Call for action before violence
MURIC said the present crisis could have been reduced if security agencies and government authorities had intervened earlier where controversial public statements were considered capable of generating tension.
The group said Lukuwa could have been invited by relevant security agencies for clarification and caution over the consequences of his public pronouncements.
However, it stressed that any failure by authorities to act did not give citizens the right to take the law into their own hands.
“Jungle Justice Must Never Be Tolerated,” the organisation declared, while insisting that the appropriate response to offensive speech should be a lawful complaint, investigation and prosecution where necessary, followed by judicial determination.
The Sokoto State Police Command has similarly condemned the mob killing and urged residents to allow the law to take its course. The command said security personnel were deployed to maintain order and prevent possible reprisal attacks.
MURIC demands investigations
MURIC called on the Sokoto State Government and security agencies to conduct a thorough, impartial and transparent investigation into the knife attack on Lukuwa.
It also demanded an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of the alleged attacker, including the identification, arrest and prosecution of anyone found to have participated in the mob action.
The organisation further called for the video recordings and public statements attributed to Lukuwa to be examined to determine whether any of them constitute offences under Nigerian law.
Its demands come as the Sokoto State Government has already ordered a full investigation into the stabbing and killing and closed the Lukuwa Jumu’at Mosque, treating the premises as a crime scene. The government has also constituted a committee of Islamic scholars to examine the immediate and remote causes of the religious tensions and advise it on appropriate measures.
MURIC urged religious leaders, scholars, traditional institutions, political actors and members of the public to exercise restraint and avoid statements or actions capable of inflaming religious sentiments.
The organisation said the sanctity of human life must be upheld and that allegations of provocation, theological disagreement or offensive speech should be addressed through lawful processes rather than mob violence.
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