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Call on UN to stop genocide in Palestine
By Oluseye Ojo
Muslim leaders in the South West on Wednesday staged a peaceful protest against any form of military cooperation between Nigeria and the State of Israel.
They protested after a press conference, organised by Aqasoh Nigeria, held at O.T.M. Islamic Centre, Iwo Road, Ibadan. The protest was staged within the premises of the Islamic Centre.
The press conference and the protest were organised to raise the alarm on the humanitarian crisis and starvation in Gaza, with a call to end genocide in Palestine, over the war between Israel and Palestine.
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Muslim groups in attendance during the press conference and the protest included Muslim Media Practitioners of Nigeria (MMPN), Oyo State; Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN), Oyo State; The Muslim Congress (TMC); Al-Mumeenat Organisation; and Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC).
Also in attendance were a renowned Islamic scholar, Dr Dawud Amoo-Alaga; founder of Anaajah Arabic Institute, Ibadan, Sheikh Abdulwaheed Abdul Hamid; President, Council of Ulama, Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria, Sheikh Abdul Fatah Sanni; and Chief Imam, Eruwaland, Sheikh Bilal Shittu.
The roll also included Grand Mufti, Conference of Islamic Organisations in Nigeria, Sheikh Dhikrullah Shafi; Alhaji Ahmad Eleyinirin of Muslim World League; Alhaji Misbaudeen Akinola, the Ameer, Ahlu Sunnah, Osun State; and Prof Abideen Olaiya.
They carried placards and banners, as well as Nigerian and Palestinian flags, giving reasons why Nigeria should not have a bilateral military accord with Israel.
Some of the inscriptions on the placards and banners carried by the protesters included: ‘United Nations must stand for the freedom of Palestinians’, ‘Nigeria unites for Palestine’, ‘Support freedom and justice for Palestinian nation’, ‘No more massacre in Palestine’, ‘Free Palestine, boycott Israel’, and ‘Humanity must rise against Zionist movement’.
The Executive Director, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), Prof Ishaq Akintola, who read the text of the press conference to journalists, stated: “After Israel has bombed schools, churches, and mosques, destroyed media houses, and bombed even tents where displaced Gazans seek refuge from cold, Israel has killed 238 media workers, and 2,000 were killed in an attempt to get food.
“Whereas as at yesterday (Tuesday), 266 children starved in Gaza’s artificial famine and blockade, including 112 children; 60 people were killed yesterday, making the number so far butchered since October 7, 2023, to be 62,064.
“These are human beings, not chickens. Israel has turned hospitals, a place of refuge, into a place of death, while ceasefire talks were ongoing in Qatar and recently in Egypt. The death toll keeps increasing in Gaza by the IDF.
“These are inhuman treatments of a fellow being. Israel’s violation of rights has no limit, and animals’ rights are more respected than the rights of the Palestinians.
“The big question is, how would Nigeria have a security alliance with this genocidal state of Israel? How would our government be romancing an apartheid state known to be foremost in committing crimes against humanity? Would such a state be sincere in combating crime in its true sense?
“Killing journalists is an attempt to kill journalism, making the profession dreadful, hence vanishing the art of unfolding the truth.
“In the interest of justice and the true spirit of shared humanity, the Federal Government, as a matter of urgency, must stop the proposed security alliance or romance in whatever capacity with the apartheid state of Israel, boycott its economic relations, and sever its diplomatic ties with the State of Israel.”
Nigeria, through the Ministry of Defence, had reaffirmed the country’s commitment to enhancing military cooperation with Israel during a recent courtesy visit from the Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, at the ministry’s headquarters in Ship House, Abuja.
The cooperation, according to the ministry, would strengthen defence cooperation in the face of changing global security threats. Both parties stressed the need for enhanced collaboration in key areas, including joint operations, knowledge sharing, and defence modernisation.
The talks also explored the possibility of finalising a new bilateral defence pact designed to promote technical partnership in the development of the defence industry.
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