The Muslim Rights Concern has asked the Federal Government to clarify reports of United States troops operating in Nigeria, raising concerns over national sovereignty and the safety of Muslim leaders.

The group said it was disturbed by what it described as the secrecy surrounding the reported deployment and urged the authorities to be transparent about the scope and purpose of any foreign military presence in the country.

In a statement released on Friday, the Executive Director of MURIC, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, said the organisation was uncomfortable with what it perceived as the framing of the reported mission as protection for Christians alone.

“MURIC considers this development an overreach and finds the secrecy surrounding US troop deployment to Nigeria disturbing.

“While we welcome cooperation between Nigeria and the US in the fight against terrorism, we do not think US boots on the ground are necessary,” Akintola said.

He said insecurity in Nigeria affected citizens across religious lines and warned against presenting the crisis as one-sided.

“We assert that there is nothing like Christian genocide in Nigeria. What we have is terrorism, insecurity and religious persecution on both sides of Christians and Muslims, and what we lack is religious tolerance,” he said.

Akintola also alleged that Muslims in parts of southern Nigeria had faced discrimination over the years and cautioned against selective international intervention.

“If the US should promote democratic principles of freedom of religion in Nigeria at all, it has a moral duty not to be selective but to promote freedom for both Christians and Muslims,” he added.

The MURIC leader said that if it was true that US troops were already on the ground, there should be no clampdown on Muslim leaders or religious activities.

“No Muslim leader should disappear, be assassinated or rendered,” he said.

He further questioned the Federal Government’s description of the reported deployment as a “small team,” calling for greater transparency.

“How ‘small’ is ‘small’? Nigerians deserve to know the scope, purpose and funding of this operation,” Akintola said.

MURIC also called on the National Assembly to demand accountability from the executive arm of government.

“What part of the cooperation between Nigeria and the US necessitates the presence of foreign troops on Nigerian soil? Was the National Assembly carried along?” he asked.

MURIC also appealed to civil society groups, labour unions and student bodies to speak out on the matter.

“Silence in the face of perceived injustice only deepens division and mistrust,” Akintola warned. (The PUNCH, but headline rejigged )

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