The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has called for the Nigeria Police to arrest the organisers of recent stampede incidents in Abuja and Anambra or release those detained over a similar tragedy in Ibadan, Oyo State involving the estranged wife of the Ooni of Ife, Queen Naomi.
The Executive Director of MURIC, Prof. Ishaq Akintola in a statement issued on Tuesday condemned what he described as unequal treatment in the handling of three separate tragic incidents that claimed lives during public events.
The Ibadan stampede, which occurred during a children’s funfair on December 18, 2024, resulted in 35 deaths.
Subsequently, police in Oyo State arrested eight individuals, including Queen Naomi Silekunola, ex-wife of the Ooni of Ife, and Abdullahi Fasasi, principal of Islamic High School, Orita Bashorun, where the event took place.
Chief Magistrate Olabisi Ogunkanmi ordered their remand at Agodi Correctional Centre.
However, similar incidents in Abuja and Anambra have reportedly not led to any arrests.
In Abuja, a stampede during palliative distribution at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Maitama, on December 21 left 10 dead.
In Okija, Anambra State, at least 20 people lost their lives in a rice palliative distribution event organized by the Obi Jackson Foundation.
MURIC questioned why only the Ibadan organisers faced arrest, calling it selective justice.
Akintola highlighted that Queen Naomi is widely known for her philanthropic work and that the principal of the school should not be held responsible, as the venue was approved by the Oyo State Ministry of Education.
The group demanded the unconditional release of those detained in Ibadan, urging authorities to treat all three cases equally.
Akintola emphasized that tragedies resulting in the loss of human lives deserve consistent and impartial investigations.
MURIC criticized the police for “blowing hot and cold” and urged the Oyo State Government to set up a panel to investigate the Ibadan incident while calling on the Nigeria Police to avoid bias in its actions.
