The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, NSCIA, has called for an end to what it describes as “tendentious and unwarranted provocations” against Islam and Muslims, while condemning recent remarks by former CAN President, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, and renewed attacks on Nigerians across several states.
In a press statement signed by its Public Affairs Officer, Abbas Jimoh, and released for immediate publication on 28 June 2026, the Council said it remains committed to peace, unity, and security in Nigeria under the leadership of its President-General, His Eminence Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto, CFR, mni.
The NSCIA said this commitment has guided its “deliberate restraint” in the face of falsehoods targeted at Islam and Muslims. According to the Council, “agents of destabilization” who failed to persuade the international community that Nigeria’s recurring mass killings, abductions, and human rights violations amount to a “Christian Genocide” have resumed a campaign of calumny and intentional misinformation. The NSCIA alleged the campaign serves local and international promoters of communal and religious disharmony.
The Council argued that ordinary Nigerians of all faiths, including Muslims, have borne the brunt of the violence. “It has become obvious that ordinary Nigerians of whatever faith and indeed Muslims have suffered more human and material losses which are either underreported or not reported at all,” the statement read.
Central to the NSCIA’s reaction was an interview granted by Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor on Channels TV’s Politics Today on Monday, 22 June 2026. While explaining the $10 million cash seizure from his private jet in South Africa in 2014, the former CAN President accused Nigerian Muslims of being “the major sponsors of terror in which the Christians are the main victims.” He also lamented the “political marginalization” of Christians in Nigeria and cited incorrect demographic data on Muslims in America, among other claims.
The NSCIA described the interview as “provocative” and “unbecoming of an acknowledged religious leader.” It said the interviewer should have “called Mr. Oritsejafor to order” or required a public apology to Muslims. While acknowledging Oritsejafor’s financial losses from the seized jet and reported loss of patronage, the Council warned that religious and opinion leaders must avoid statements that could “set the country on the path of self-immolation.” It added that exclusively linking a particular ethnic group to crime, or Islam to crime, is “not only dubious but uncharitable.”
Reaffirming its stance on criminality, the NSCIA said it has consistently dissociated itself from all forms of crime and condemned perpetrators “whatever religious identity they may claim.” In line with that position, the Council condemned the kidnapping of school children and teachers in Oyo State and other parts of the country, as well as the “gruesome murder” in Benue State of Alhaji Ardo Risku Muhammad, Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, MACBAN, and his associate, Mallam Yakubu Isah.
The Council urged authorities to ensure prompt prosecution of perpetrators and apply appropriate sanctions against those found culpable, saying this would reduce incidents and restore public confidence in government’s ability to resolve the problems.
On the media, the NSCIA acknowledged that “media organisations with anti-Islamic sentiments are not in short supply in Nigeria.” However, it reminded journalists that professional ethics require “facts are sacred while opinions can be free,” provided opinions are expressed responsibly. It called on media houses and regulatory bodies to protect Nigeria’s corporate interest as “an indivisible whole” and urged all stakeholders to work together for lasting solutions to the nation’s security and existential challenges.
— Signed: Abbas Jimoh, Public Affairs Officer, for and on behalf of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA)
