NSCIA cautions against religious, ethnic profiling of criminals

The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has issued a strong caution against associating criminal activities with any particular religion or ethnic group. The council warned that such narratives exacerbate societal divisions and undermine the collective efforts required to address the nation's pervasive insecurity challenges.

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Criminality should neither be given ethnic nor religious colouration, as such narratives deepen divisions and undermine collective efforts to address insecurity and achieve lasting peace.

In a Democracy Day message, the NSCIA stated that while insecurity remains a significant national challenge, criminality should not be assigned ethnic or religious colorations. The council expressed concern over persistent threats from banditry, kidnapping, terrorism, and other violent crimes, which continue to cause loss of life, displace communities, and impede national development. "Criminality should neither be given ethnic nor religious colouration, as such narratives deepen divisions and undermine collective efforts to address insecurity and achieve lasting peace," the statement read.

The NSCIA unequivocally condemned all acts of violence and criminality, urging those involved to cease their destructive activities. The council also voiced concern over attempts by some individuals and groups to link Nigerian Muslims with banditry and other violent crimes. It described such profiling as unfair and unrepresentative of the majority of peace-loving Muslims who contribute positively to national development. "We wish to state unequivocally that such religious profiling is false, misleading, and grossly unfair to the overwhelming majority of peace-loving Nigerian Muslims who continue to live, work, and contribute positively to national development across all sectors of the society," the statement added.

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We wish to state unequivocally that such religious profiling is false, misleading, and grossly unfair to the overwhelming majority of peace-loving Nigerian Muslims who continue to live, work, and contribute positively to national development across all sectors of the society.

Furthermore, the NSCIA argued that ethnic profiling is equally misleading. The council cited the example of a kidnapping incident in Oyo State, where initial reports attempted to link the crime to Islam or Muslims, but subsequent developments disproved these claims. The council stressed that suspects should be identified by their criminal actions and prosecuted accordingly, rather than being subjected to ethnic or religious labels. The NSCIA urged media organizations, opinion leaders, and other stakeholders to adhere to responsible reporting and avoid perpetuating divisive narratives.

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This should stop, and anyone who commits crimes should be labelled with the crimes committed and duly prosecuted according to the enabling laws of the land.