Muslim Media Watch Group of Nigeria (MMWG) has praised the Nigerian military and the Federal Government for the rescue of over 400 terror victims in Borno State, while calling for urgent action to secure the release of kidnapped individuals in Oyo State.
In a press statement issued on Tuesday and signed by its National Coordinator, Alhaji Ibrahim Abdullahi, and National Secretary, Dr. Nasir Balogun, the group described the Borno operation as “commendable and reassuring” – a sign that other captives may soon regain their freedom.
However, the group expressed concern over reports that some of the Oyo abductees are falling ill, raising fears of potential fatalities. It appealed to the Federal Government to intensify efforts to secure the release of innocent children, their teachers, and their principal “for the sake of humanity”.
“The group therefore appealed for early negotiation to free the innocent victims, as a non-kinetic approach would prevent casualties and collateral damage often associated with military action,” the statement read.
Reacting to a viral video in which Oyo kidnap victims denied claims that terrorists demanded the establishment of Sharia law or a N1 billion ransom, the MMWG said the denial “exposed fake-news purveyors”. According to the group, Mrs Racheal Alamu, who identified herself as the wife of a professor in Oyo State, stated that the abductors “never demanded money, transport logistics, nor forced them to practise Islam” – instead demanding “the release of their leaders arrested since last year”.
The MMWG accused those spreading contrary claims of “peddling falsehood and fake news”. It added: “In Islam, there is no compulsion in religion, and Sharia is already practised in Nigeria… In the South West, Muslims still run a Sharia council without any inhibition whatsoever.”
While commending the Federal Government’s war against criminality, the MMWG appealed for the fast-tracking of rescue efforts for victims in Oyo State and “all others across the country”.