The Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to in the spirit of the forgiveness and freedom which the middle and end of Ramadan stand for, exercise his prerogative of mercy, grant presidential pardon to the 54 soldiers who were imprisoned for refusing to fight Boko Haram insurgents with poor weapons.
They were sentenced to life imprisonment ab initio before the sentence was commuted to ten years imprisonment, stressing that it sees the 54 soldiers as whistle-blowers, not criminals because they actually exposed the $2.1 billion arms fraud. “It is a sad paradox that while other whistle-blowers are being rewarded, the 54 soldiers are languishing in jail. This is frustrating.
“We call on civil society, particularly anti-corruption crusaders to speak out for the 54 soldiers. We also remind state governors and state chief judges to use the occasion to visit prisons in their states with a view to setting free a large number of inmates particularly those awaiting trial.”
MURIC charged Nigerian Muslims to use the occasion of the Id Al-Fitr to pray fervently for President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) and the Nigerian nation, stressing that prayer points should include divine protection for PMB, triumph over all forces lined up against him and another four-year tenure of peace, prosperity and progress.
MURIC also felicitated with the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, on this auspicious occasion and congratulates the Nigerian Muslim Ummah and the entire Nigerian citizenry for successfully observing this year’s Ramadan.