New Twist as MURIC Rejects Life Sentence for Ansaru Commanders Linked to Oyo Abduction
- MURIC opposed the life sentences handed to two convicted terrorists by Justice Emeka Nwite on Monday, July 20, 2026
- The Muslim group's helmsman, Professor Ishaq Akintola, warned that keeping terrorists in prison creates serious risks of jailbreaks and radicalisation of other inmates
- MURIC linked the convicted men to a recent school kidnapping in Oyo state, where their release was demanded as a condition for freeing hostages
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering security matters and counter-insurgency in Nigeria and Africa.
Iba, Lagos state - The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has called for the death penalty for convicted terrorists in Nigeria, rejecting the life sentences handed down to two men found guilty of terrorism offences earlier this week.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, July 22, MURIC's executive director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, described the sentencing as "too lenient, too dangerous and too disproportionate."
Source: Twitter
MURIC warns of prison jailbreak risk
Justice Emeka Nwite of a Federal High Court had on Monday, July 20, convicted Abubakar Abba, also known as Abu Baraa, and Mahmud Usman, also known as Mahmuda, and sentenced both men to life imprisonment.
The group argued that incarcerating terrorists rather than executing them poses a direct threat to national security. Akintola warned that convicted extremists retain dangerous networks from behind bars, which they use to coordinate jailbreaks and recruit ordinary inmates into terrorism.
Akintola said in the statement:
"It is dangerous to keep terrorists in prison custody temporarily or ad infinitum because of their deadly networks which they use to organise jailbreaks.
"They are no longer human beings. It is dangerous to keep them with other inmates if we don't want them to convert ordinary prisoners into terrorists like them."
MURIC also pointed to a recent kidnapping in Oriire, Oyo state, in which abductors demanded the release of the same two men as a condition for freeing the school children and teachers they had taken hostage. The group said the incident should have served as a clear warning to the authorities about the continued influence these individuals hold outside prison walls.
Source: Twitter
MURIC demands execution within 7 days
Furthermore, beyond calling for the death penalty, MURIC set a specific timeline for implementation. The Islamic group demanded that any terrorist sentenced to death must be executed within seven days of the court's judgement, citing what it described as a pattern of audacious attacks on prison facilities across the country.
The statement read:
"We therefore demand the death penalty for any terrorist found guilty of active participation in terror attacks."
Akintola urged the federal government to put the necessary legal frameworks in place to ensure that executions could be carried out through due process. He said those who deprive others of the benefits of democracy have no right to claim its protections, including fundamental human rights.
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DSS seeks death penalty for Ansaru terrorists
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Department of State Services (DSS) said it will challenge the life sentences imposed on two senior commanders of the Ansaru terrorist group by a federal high court in Abuja.
A senior DSS official, speaking after the judgement, disclosed that the secret police is seriously considering the punishment inadequate, given the gravity of the offences.
Source: Legit.ng
