The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has challenged the Federal Government to urgently explain reports that United States troops are operating on Nigerian soil, warning that secrecy around the alleged deployment threatens national sovereignty and deepens religious suspicion.
In a sharply worded statement on Friday, MURIC’s Executive Director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, said the organisation was disturbed by claims that the mission was framed as protection for Christians alone, insisting that insecurity in Nigeria cuts across all religious lines.
While acknowledging Nigeria US cooperation against terrorism, MURIC rejected the necessity of foreign troops on the ground, describing it as an overreach shrouded in troubling opacity.
“There is no Christian genocide in Nigeria,” Akintola said. “What exists is terrorism, insecurity and persecution affecting both Christians and Muslims, worsened by a dangerous lack of religious tolerance.”
He warned against selective international intervention, alleging long-standing discrimination against Muslims in parts of southern Nigeria, and cautioned that no Muslim leader should be targeted, disappeared, or silenced under the guise of security operations.
Questioning the government’s claim that only a “small team” of US troops was involved, Akintola demanded transparency. “How small is ‘small’? Nigerians deserve to know the scope, purpose, funding and legal basis of this operation,” he said.
MURIC also called on the National Assembly, civil society groups and labour unions to break their silence and demand accountability, warning that continued opacity would only fuel mistrust and deepen national divisions.
