NSCIA Rejects Genocide Claims, Demands Security Reform

The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has rejected claims of genocide against Christians or any religious community in Nigeria.

It said insecurity affects Nigerians regardless of faith and called for urgent, comprehensive reform of the country’s security architecture to address worsening insecurity and protect citizens’ lives and property.

The NSCIA made its position known in a communiqué issued at the end of its General Assembly held recently at the Abuja National Mosque, under the theme, “Nigerian Muslims and the Imperative of Nation-building.”

The communiqué, signed by the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the NSCIA, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, and its Secretary-General, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, said the security situation required a coordinated national response rather than religious profiling.

The Council, while supporting decentralised policing, said any reform of the security architecture must be anchored on professionalism, constitutional safeguards, impartiality, accountability, sustainable funding, respect for fundamental rights and effective coordination between federal and state security institutions.

It also charged the Federal Government to expedite measures to reduce the cost of transportation and food, saying this would help alleviate the hardship confronting ordinary Nigerians. The Council further condemned attempts to portray Muslims as non-indigenous to Igboland, stressing that Islam had existed in the region for several decades and across generations.

“Islam has been in Igboland for several decades and across generations,” the Council said.

It condemned any attempt to suppress Muslims or normalise attacks against them based on claims that they were not indigenous to the region.

On religious unity, the NSCIA affirmed that Islam prohibited compulsion in religion and urged Muslim scholars to stop attacking one another publicly.

It also cautioned Muslims against manipulating Islam to promote hatred, violence and attacks against people who held different views.

The Council urged Muslims to embrace the culture of verification and evidence, known as Tabayyun, and desist from circulating unverified messages, claims and accusations capable of damaging the reputation of leaders and other individuals.

On religious rights, the NSCIA welcomed the Supreme Court judgment upholding the decision of the appellate court in the case involving the construction of a mosque by Muslim students at Rivers State University.

It called on the Rivers State Government and the university management to implement the judgment without further delay.

The Council also demanded respect for the right of Muslim female students, National Youth Service Corps members, female security personnel and Muslim women in other workplaces to wear hijab, describing it as a fundamental human right.

It particularly faulted the authorities of the University of Ibadan, Obafemi Awolowo University and the University of Lagos over what it described as hostile dispositions to Supreme Court judgments favouring the use of hijab in their international schools.

The NSCIA accused the institutions of attempting to redesignate the schools as private despite their establishment by public institutions, urging them to retrace their steps and comply with the law.

On education, the Council urged Muslim leaders to prioritise quality education combining sound Islamic knowledge with Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM), saying this was critical to the future of the Muslim community.
It also called on parents and community leaders to pay greater attention to the moral upbringing of young people increasingly exposed to what it described as adverse foreign influences.

The Council urged Muslims to obtain their National Identification Numbers (NINs) and Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), and participate fully in the selection of leaders at all levels.
It further encouraged Muslim organisations to pursue economic independence through lawful investments, cooperation and effective administration of Zakat and Waqf as instruments for sustainable poverty reduction.

The Assembly adopted the 2026 report of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) and endorsed its recommendations for repositioning the Hajj industry.
It also commended NAHCON and the Abuja National Mosque Management Board for their initiatives in advancing their mandates.