MURIC claims Kano deaths is plot to depopulate Muslims

MURIC Ishaq Akintola

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has claimed that the spike in strange deaths in Kano State is a plot to depopulate Muslims in Nigeria.

Dozens of persons have died of unexplained causes in Nigeria’s most populous state since last week.

The state, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), has 77 confirmed coronavirus cases.

However, MURIC director, Ishaq Akintola, in a statement on Monday, lamented the unusual deaths, saying it was a threat to the “majority status” Nigerian Muslims enjoy “in the area of demography.”

He said: “More disturbing is the rumour that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in the state has locked up its offices and its officials are not responding to distress calls.

“The only testing centre in Kano which is situated at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital has also been allegedly locked up. So where did NCDC get its figure on Kano? Something is fishy here. We are surprised that testing centres are almost nonexistent in the North.

“Is this a deliberate attempt at debilitating Northern population with its attendant impact on Muslim majority population in the country?

“We, therefore, demand an inquiry into circumstances surrounding the alleged closure of NCDC office in Kano State as well as the paucity of testing centres in the whole North.

“Nigerian Muslims are currently enjoying a majority status in the area of demography. We must avoid anything capable of decimating our population.

“We urge Kano citizens to strictly obey rules set by health officials, particularly social distancing, washing hands regularly with soap, using sanitizers and staying at home. You must break the cycle of this killer virus.

“Above all, the government must be vicious to be triumphant. Violators of lockdown rules must be dealt with according to the law while the lockdown on Kano must not be lifted until the rate of death slows down to a reasonable level.”