By Jelili Gbadamosi
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has urged mosques and Islamic organisations across Nigeria to strengthen security measures and promptly report suspicious activities to security agencies following recent terror alerts.
The group’s Executive Director, Professor Isiaq Akintola, made the call in a statement issued on Tuesday in response to alerts raised by the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force over planned attacks by terrorists.
Akintola urged Muslims to remain vigilant during religious gatherings and pay attention to unfamiliar individuals, suspicious movements and unattended bags within and around mosque premises.
He advised Islamic organisations to ensure that unknown persons are properly monitored and that suspicious items are immediately reported to the police rather than ignored.
“Islamic organizations and individuals must be wary of strange faces at their gatherings. People carrying bags and baggage, especially back-packs, must not be allowed into mosque premises,” he said.
MURIC also advised mosque authorities against allowing people to sleep overnight within mosque premises, stressing the need for increased vigilance in view of the security alerts.
The group said Muslims should not assume that a person poses no security threat simply because they regularly attend prayers or appear to be a member of the religious community.
Akintola urged Islamic organisations to cooperate with security agencies by providing relevant information about suspicious persons or activities in their communities.
He said the precautionary measures were necessary to help prevent potential attacks and protect worshippers.
The group further called on Muslims and other members of the public to remain alert without creating unnecessary panic, stressing that timely reporting of suspicious activities could assist security agencies in preventing attacks.
