The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has expressed satisfaction with the role of the Awujale of Ijebu-Ode, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, in the selection of the Eketa Adinni of Ijebu Ode. This development followed the revelation of more facts on the positive role which the king had been playing in the growth and development of Islam in Ijebu kingdom.
This was the view expressed by the human rights organization in a press statement on Monday, 17th December, 2018. According to the director and founder of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola, the organization has uncovered more facts on the controversy surrounding the selection of the Eketa Adinni of Ijebu-Ode.
“Several stakeholders have supplied more facts since our press statement of Wednesday 12th December, 2018 and we have seen that the three zones which make up Ijebu-Ode, Ijasi, Itun Metala and Oke were actively involved in the process of picking the new Eketa Adinni. We wish to state that MURIC has no vested interest in any particular candidate. We therefore wish to respect the choice of the Muslim community.
“We appeal to any aggrieved person or persons to drop any planned legal action particularly through the conventional courts because the legal system in the Southern part of Nigeria does not understand or respect the Islamic system. This has informed the decision of conventional courts to lock up many courts in Yorubaland for several years as a result of legal tussles. Any recourse to legal action on this matter should therefore be made to the Shariah panel within or outside Ijebu-Ode.
“We assert clearly, categorically and unequivocally that the Awujale remains a steadfast Muslim and he has for a long time been contributing to the growth of Islam in Ijebuland. He enjoys immense respect among Muslims and non-Muslims, not only in his domain but in Yorubaland as a whole.
“MURIC as a human rights group should not be mistaken for a media house or an arm of journalism. Therefore the strict rules of journalism do not apply to it. However, unlike a media house, the resources of a human rights group and its reach are limited to a large extent. It can therefore react to petitions from an individual or a group of people who feel aggrieved.
“Once MURIC takes a case to the court of public opinion, the onus is on concerned parties and stakeholders to state their own side of the story for us to do a followup where necessary. Refusal to review our stand after new facts have been revealed will be injustice, impropriety and unethical. MURIC or any other human rights group should also not be misconstrued as a court of law. It has no such power. It is only a pressure group that can seek redress for an aggrieved person, a group of people or a community.
“Our views are not divine as we are prone to error like all human beings. But the beauty of any responsible human system is its readiness to review its stand instead of relishing in error. Failure to do so will be impunity. Nay, it is a sin. Islamic eschatology emphasizes the doctrine of accountability.
The Qur’an says, ‘We (Allah) shall ask those who received our message and we shall also question the messengers’ (Qur’an 7:6). This should make the difference between an Islamic human rights organization and other human rights groups. The fear of hurting or labeling innocent people must be uppermost in our hearts. In this context, we appeal to all stakeholders, particularly whistle-blowers, informants and aggrieved Muslims who send petitions to MURIC to fear Allah and to avoid making false claims.
Even a whole Nigerian Army with all its resources recently erred on its ban of the United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) in the North East and it reversed itself. Our policy in MURIC is magnanimity in exactitude and humility in error. Only Allah is infallible. When we are right, it is Allah who guided us to the light and the glory should go to Him alone. If otherwise, we seek His guidance all over again.
For the avoidance of any doubt, we affirm that nobody asked us to retract our statement of last week on the Awujale and Ijebu Muslims. But as an Islamic group we know that even if human beings have not asked us to do so, we will still account for everything yawm al-Qiyamah (the Day of Judgement). Muslims must not peddle untruth (Qur’an 61: 2-3).
“As stated in our earlier statement, we re-affirm our highest esteem for the office of the Awujale and all traditional rulers. We advise the Itun-Mefa Muslim community to seek re-integration and to desist from any conventional legal action. The Shariah panel is most preferable in the event of dissatisfaction”.