MURIC Alleges Nigerian Muslims Face More Persecution Than Christians

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has claimed that Muslims in Nigeria face more persecution than Christians, but their experiences receive far less media coverage.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the group’s Executive Director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, dismissed recent reports describing the killing of Christians in Nigeria as “genocide,” arguing that such claims are part of a “coordinated blackmail campaign” to win sympathy from Western audiences.

Akintola accused certain Christian leaders of exaggerating religious persecution in order to influence the United States and other foreign powers into blacklisting Nigeria, thereby portraying Christians as victims while marginalizing Muslims.

“Nigerian Muslims also suffer killings, often in larger numbers, but their plight goes unreported because global narratives are controlled by a Christo-Western media,” Akintola stated.

He noted that while Christian casualties are often highlighted in regions like Benue and Plateau states, Muslim deaths in areas such as Sokoto and Zamfara receive little attention.

According to him, “While about 200 churches were destroyed across the North, no fewer than 6,000 mosques were also demolished in the same region.”

The MURIC director also alleged that Muslims in southern Nigeria experience systemic marginalization, with their concerns routinely ignored by both state and federal governments.

He accused Nigerian media outlets of bias, saying Christian victims are clearly identified in reports, whereas Muslim victims are referred to in vague terms such as “worshippers” or “audience.”

Akintola further argued that attempts by Christian groups to involve the U.S. government amount to “religious favoritism and neo-imperial domination,” claiming that such actions are designed to secure political and economic advantages for Christians.

“It is moral bankruptcy to report Nigeria to America, least of all to former President Donald Trump. How can a country that funds genocidal wars sit in judgment over another?” he said.

He also alleged that Muslim voices are being silenced on Christian-owned media platforms, which he said undermines journalistic fairness and national unity.

Concluding, Akintola warned that Nigerian Muslims are “caught in a global power game,” facing attacks from terrorists, marginalization from government, and hostility from what he described as “powerful Christian nations.”