JOINT AIRSTRIKES ON TERRORISTS: MURIC SEEKS CLARIFICATIONS

An Islamic human rights organization, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has demanded clarifications from the Federal Government of Nigeria (FG) over yesterday’s airstrikes against suspected terrorists’ bases in Sokoto, North Western Nigeria and Offa in Kwara State. ‎

‎In a statement issued on Friday, 26th December, 2025 by the Executive Director of the organization, Professor Ishaq Akintola, the group said although terrorists deserve nothing but annihilation and attacks on them are justifiable, such attacks must cause no civilian casualties.
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‎The statement continues:
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‎”The United States of America launched airstrikes against alleged terrorists’ bases in North Western Nigeria and Offa in Kwara State yesterday, 25th December, 2025. The attack was reportedly carried out in collaboration with the Federal Government (FG) of Nigeria.
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*‎”While MURIC welcomes airstrikes against terrorists, it frowns upon civilian collateral damages. We gathered that the strike on Jabo area in Tambuwal Local Government actually fell on a farmland. But the strike on Offa, Kwara State, destroyed several buildings (https://leadership.ng/pictorial-apprehension-as-late-night-explosion-rocks-buildings-in-kwara/).*
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*‎”MURIC condemns the alleged destruction of the farmland in Jabo area of Sokoto and some private buildings in the strike on Offa, Kwara State. This destruction will cause additional hardship on residents of the area. We therefore demand immediate compensation for the owners of the properties.*
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‎”Our emphasis is on the safety of civilians. We recall our position statement which was made on Sunday, 2nd November, 2025 when the US first threatened to attack Nigeria. We said, ‘US strikes will make sense if they are directed at terrorist groups like Boko Haram, ISIS and ISWAP’ (https://muslimrightsmuric.blogspot.com/2025/11/trumps-threat-to-attack-nigeria-muric.html?m=1).
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‎”We hereby reiterate the statement but we wish to add that innocent Christians too must not become victims of such attacks. For instance, both Muslims and Christians live in Offa and we are yet to ascertain the faith of owners of the buildings that were destroyed yesterday by US bombs.
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*‎”For the sake of microscopic clarity, we reaffirm that terrorists have lost every right to be treated like normal human beings. They deserve no mercy but innocent Nigerians should not be turned into cannon fodders in the war against terrorists.*
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‎”Notwithstanding, while we welcome US-Nigeria collaboration in the fight against terrorism, we reject the insistence on a false Christian genocide narrative because it gives the impression that these attacks are intended as revenge for Christian victims instead of being reprisals for all victims of terrorist attacks, Muslims and Christians alike.
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*‎”We condemn the hypocrisy of the US for refusing to sell weapons to the Nigerian government ab initio. The US also blocked the sale of weapons to Nigeria by other countries and restricted the use of the weapons to carry out strikes against terrorists in certain areas when it eventually agreed to sell them to FG. This makes it difficult to refer to recent strikes by the US as friendly actions.*
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*‎The gallant Nigerian soldiers could have wiped out these terrorists had the US hearkened to FG’s request at the right time. This is why Nigeria owes the US no gratitude for what it is doing now.*
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‎Ceteris paribus, any country which assists Nigeria in killing terrorists without collateral damage is rendering assistance to the country.
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*‎However, we must warn against such collaboration with Israel, a confirmed terrorist state which has already been indicted for genocide and whose prime minister has been declared wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) since 21st November, 2024 (https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/21/middleeast/international-criminal-court-issues-arrest-warrant-for-israeli-prime-minister-intl).*
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‎”We strongly assert that terrorists are enemies of civilised society. Those who kill, kidnap and terrorise innocent people, including little children and students, deserve nothing but elimination.
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‎”We understand the good intention of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the war against terrorists and we call on Nigerians to try to know where FG is coming from. In our own view, FG is determined to eliminate terrorists and it has not relented in its efforts to do this. We therefore demand clarifications on the strikes on Sokoto and Offa. We also demand compensations for the victims.”
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‎”As we draw the curtain, we warn that foreign involvement in attacks which kill innocent Muslims is most likely to fuel antagonism between Muslims and their Christian neighbours.
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‎#UsAirstrikes
‎#AvoidCivilianCasualty
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‎Professor Ishaq Akintola,
‎Executive Director,
‎Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)
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