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Christian Private Universities Subject Muslims To Forceful Conversion – MURIC

Published

4 years ago

November 22, 2022

MURIC Urges FG to Suspend NYSC Scheme, Discharge 20 Freed Corps Members

MURIC Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola

A call has gone to the Nigerian Universities Commission (NUC) to take necessary steps capable of stopping the oppression of Muslim students in Christian-owned private universities.

The call was made by the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC).

The group alleged that Christian proprietors of private universities have consistently subjected Muslim students to forceful conversion via compulsory attendance of church services and denial of personal identity by disallowing use of hijab.

Making the call on Monday, 21st November, 2022 was the director of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola.

He said: “Private universities owned by Christians in the country have become torture chambers for Muslim students. The Muslim students cannot form any association on the basis of their own faith in those schools. They have no spaces for their prayers. They are forced to attend the church on campus as attendance is marked by the authorities. Muslim students who fail to go to church are sanctioned. This smirks of religious apartheid. It is therefore unacceptable.

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“It is noteworthy that such private universities do not bear Christian names. Therefore Muslim students have no foreknowledge that they are seeking admission into Christian-owned universities. They are deceived into applying, paying acceptance fees and the school fees proper without being told that the institutions are owned by Christians or that they would be run according to Christian teachings.

“It is after they have packed into the hostel and started attending classes that the school authorities start issuing odd rules. We see this as unfair, deceitful, fraudulent and non-transparent.

“MURIC calls on the National Universities Commission (NUC) to intervene in this issue. Private universities should be true to the conditions of their approval by the Federal Government and their registration by the NUC. They should not be allowed to change the goal post after the game has started.

“They must be compelled to follow due process and to obey the rules of the land. No private university should make rules that will subject students to inhuman conditions. Forceful conversion by forcing Muslim students to attend church services is a gross violation of the letter and spirit of the Nigerian constitution.

“They get away with this pernicious, degrading and dehumanising practice by claiming that they are private institutions. But the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria makes the Nigerian Constitution the font et origo of all laws, rules, regulations, directives, memoranda, etc to the effect that no rule emanating from any other source shall override its provisions.

“Chapter 1, Part 1, Section 1(1) & (3) of the 1999 Constitution stipulates: ‘This Constitution is supreme and its provisions shall have binding force on all authorities and persons throughout the Federal Republic of Nigeria.’

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“In particular, Section 1(3) says, ‘If any other law is inconsistent with the provisions of this Constitution, this Constitution shall prevail, and that other law shall to the extent of the inconsistency be void.

If this is so and if Nigeria is not paying ordinary lip service to its own laws, the provisions of Section 38 (i) & (ii) which provides that ‘every person shall be entitled to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom (either alone or in community with others, and in public or in private) to manifest and propagate his religion or belief in worship, teaching, practice and observance’ should be made to apply to Christian-owned private universities which have turned their institutions to religious apartheid enclaves for Muslim students.

“Muslim students need NUC’s protection from the feudalistic spiritual slave masters of contemporary time which Christian private universities have turned out to be. Compliance with religious freedom and religious tolerance rules are some of the conditions which NUC should consider before issuing certificate of approval to private universities.

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“Every individual or group, whether Muslim or Christian seeking to establish a private university should be made to sign an undertaking guaranteeing religious freedom. In addition, NUC should review the approval clauses of all existing private institutions in the country with a view to making them sign the same undertaking. This is necessary because Christian-owned private institutions are behaving as if they have the power to change the faith of their students as they wish.”

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Related Topics:Christian MURIC Muslims Private Universities

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Court Orders 18-Year-Old Fraudster To Pay ₦1.2m Over $800 Lottery Scam

Published

5 hours ago

November 2, 2026

Trends Admin

Court Orders 18-Year-Old Fraudster To Pay ₦1.2m Over $800 Lottery Scam

A Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has convicted an 18-year-old man, Hassan Usman Olamilekan, for money laundering after he admitted obtaining $800 from a United States citizen through a fake $250 million lottery scheme.

Justice Dipeolu convicted Olamilekan on October 30, 2026, after he pleaded guilty to a one-count charge filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The court imposed a fine of ₦200,000 and ordered him to pay an additional ₦1 million to the Federal Government, bringing his total financial obligation to ₦1.2 million. He is to remain in a correctional centre pending payment of the fine and the ordered amount.

The judge also directed the forfeiture of two mobile phones recovered in connection with the offence: an iPhone 11 Pro and a Poco C71.

According to the EFCC, Olamilekan defrauded an American citizen, identified as Gary Brewer, through the Zangi messaging application, where he allegedly impersonated a woman named Julie Leach.

Investigators said the 18-year-old told Brewer that he had won a $250 million lottery prize but needed money to activate the winnings before he could collect the supposed prize.

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The fabricated lottery story reportedly persuaded the American to send gift cards worth $800 through the messaging platform.

The EFCC said Olamilekan admitted selling the gift cards through the Cardsonic application, converting the proceeds into naira and transferring the money into his grandmother’s OPay account. He also admitted benefiting from the $800 obtained through the transaction.

The commission said the defendant operated several social media and messaging accounts, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Zangi and iMessage, which investigators linked to his fraudulent activities.

The charge against him accused him of indirectly disguising the origin of $800 in gift cards, which represented proceeds of unlawful activity. The offence was brought under Section 18(2)(a) and punishable under Section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

Following his guilty plea, an EFCC operative, Ebuka Abanga, presented the facts of the case before the court. Justice Dipeolu subsequently found him guilty and convicted him.

Olamilekan was among 21 suspected internet fraudsters arrested by EFCC operatives during a sting operation at Applewood Estate, Orchid Road, Lekki, Lagos State, on October 26, 2026.

The arrest was carried out by operatives of the commission’s Lagos Zonal Directorate 1, four days before his conviction.

The EFCC disclosed the conviction in a statement issued on Monday through its Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, as part of its ongoing efforts to prosecute financial and cyber-related crimes.

Court Orders 18-Year-Old Fraudster To Pay ₦1.2m Over $800 Lottery Scam

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Footballer Dies as Trailer Rams Car Into Bus on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

Published

6 hours ago

November 2, 2026

Trends Admin

Footballer Dies as Trailer Rams Car Into Bus on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

A footballer has died in a fatal multiple-vehicle crash along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Ogun State after a trailer allegedly rammed into the car conveying him and other members of his football academy.

The accident occurred on Monday, November 2, 2026, around the Magboro axis of the expressway in Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State.

The crash reportedly involved a Mercedes-Benz C300 and a commercial bus, with officials of the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE) and police officers confirming that one person died at the scene.

According to an eyewitness, the footballer and other members of his football academy were travelling in two vehicles to participate in a football match when the incident occurred.

The witness said a trailer suddenly crossed from the opposite side of the road and rammed into the Mercedes-Benz, forcing the car into a commercial bus.

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The collision reportedly killed the footballer inside the Mercedes-Benz, while other occupants of the vehicles survived.

“We were going for a match. We just saw a trailer cross from the other side and hit this Benz, then it hit the bus. Only one person died in the car while the rest of us survived. Everyone in the bus is fine, too. The trailer driver fled with his vehicle afterwards,” the eyewitness said.

The witness, who spoke on condition of anonymity, further alleged that the trailer driver fled the scene with the vehicle immediately after the collision.

The Mercedes-Benz, which had registration number SMK-878KX, was badly damaged in the accident, while efforts were reportedly made to evacuate its wreckage from the expressway.

The identity of the deceased footballer had not been established as of the time of reporting.

The circumstances surrounding the crash, including the alleged escape of the trailer driver, were expected to be investigated by the relevant authorities.

The incident adds to concerns over road safety on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, a major route connecting Lagos and several communities in the South-West and other parts of the country.

Footballer Dies as Trailer Rams Car Into Bus on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

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Gunmen Intercept Family Car, Abduct Woman, Two Children, Release Husband in Abuja

Published

6 hours ago

November 2, 2026

Trends Admin

FCT Police Command Spokesperson, CSP Adeh Josephine

Gunmen Intercept Family Car, Abduct Woman, Two Children, Release Husband in Abuja

Gunmen have abducted a woman, identified as Mrs Attah Arome, and her two children after intercepting the family’s vehicle in the Kagini area of Bwari, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

The attackers reportedly released her husband, Attah Arome, but took his wife and the two children to an undisclosed location, triggering fresh concerns over the safety of residents in the outskirts of the nation’s capital.

The incident occurred at about 11pm on Sunday, October 25, 2026, as the family was returning from an outing.

According to a report by The Whistler published on Monday, November 2, the gunmen double-crossed the family’s vehicle around Kagini, forcing it to stop before taking the woman and her children away.

A source close to the family confirmed the incident, disclosing that the abductors had contacted relatives and demanded ransom for the victims’ release.

The source, however, declined to disclose the amount demanded by the kidnappers.

“Yes, it’s true. The gunmen double-crossed their car around the Kagini area of Bwari. They released the husband and went away with the wife and two children. They have contacted the family and demanded ransom,” the source said.

The circumstances surrounding the decision to release the husband while abducting the other three family members were not immediately clear.

It was also unclear whether the abductors had given the family a deadline to meet their ransom demand or issued any threats over possible consequences of non-payment.

Efforts by The Whistler to contact the spokesperson of the FCT Police Command, CSP Josephine Adeh, for comments were unsuccessful. The police had yet to issue an official statement confirming the abduction as of the time of the report.

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The latest incident comes amid continuing concerns over kidnapping in Bwari Area Council, where several communities have experienced attacks by armed groups.

In March 2026, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported a series of abductions in communities around Byazhin and Peze in Bwari. Residents described repeated attacks on homes and farm settlements, with families reportedly receiving ransom demands.

In another report published in March, Premium Times disclosed that troops of the Nigerian Army’s 7 Guards Battalion, working with police officers and local vigilantes, rescued 19 kidnapped persons during a search-and-rescue operation around Gidan Dogo in Bwari Area Council.

The rescued victims included a retired military officer, children and farm workers who had been abducted in separate attacks.

The recurring incidents have prompted residents to call for stronger security deployments, improved surveillance and a permanent security presence in vulnerable communities.

For the Arome family, however, the immediate concern remains the safe return of the abducted woman and her two children.

Relatives are reportedly facing the difficult task of negotiating with the kidnappers while seeking the intervention of security agencies to secure the victims’ release.