Ibadan, Oyo State, was the scene of a major protest on Wednesday as prominent Muslim leaders and groups in the South West marched peacefully against Nigeria’s proposed military cooperation with the State of Israel.
The protest, spearheaded by Aqsah Nigeria, Ibadan branch, brought together respected scholars and clerics who said the demonstration was not only about Palestine but also about Nigeria’s moral compass in global affairs.
Notable Islamic leaders present included Dr. Dawud Amoo-Alaga; Sheikh Abdulwaheed Abdul Hamid, founder of Anaajah Arabic Institute, Ibadan; Sheikh Abdul Fatah Sanni, President of the Council of Ulamah, Supreme Council for Shariah in Nigeria; and Sheikh Dhikrullah Shafii, the Grand Mufti of the Conference of Islamic Organisations in Nigeria.
Their collective voice rose in unison against the backdrop of Nigeria’s Ministry of Defence recently reaffirming plans to deepen military ties with Israel, a decision the protesters described as “unfortunate, insensitive, and unacceptable.”
Speaking during the march, the Executive Director of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), Prof. Ishaq Akintola, painted a grim picture of the situation in Gaza. He accused Israel of war crimes, citing bombings of schools, mosques, churches, media houses, and refugee camps.
“As of Tuesday, 266 children had died of starvation due to Israel’s blockade. Hospitals have been turned into death zones even while ceasefire talks were ongoing. This is a clear violation of international humanitarian law,” Prof. Akintola told journalists.
He argued that Nigeria, a country with a proud history of standing against apartheid in South Africa, must not lend legitimacy to what he described as “Israel’s apartheid regime guilty of crimes against humanity.”
The clerics demanded that the Federal Government not only abandon military cooperation with Israel but also suspend economic ties, recall Nigeria’s ambassador, and align the nation with global calls for justice and humanitarian relief.
Some of the leaders also stressed that Nigeria must remain consistent in its foreign policy of defending oppressed peoples worldwide.
They warned that siding with Israel could alienate Nigeria from other African and Muslim-majority nations, weakening its moral authority and international standing.
“Our nation cannot claim to champion peace in West Africa and yet turn a blind eye to the suffering in Gaza,” one of the speakers declared, noting that history will judge Nigeria by the choices it makes in moments like this.
The protest ended peacefully with prayers for the victims of the Gaza conflict and renewed appeals to President Bola Tinubu’s administration to “stand with the oppressed, not with the oppressor.”
