JIBWIS, the AK-47 conundrum and the search for justice (Part 1)

On Monday, October 26, a viral video showing a 22-year-old man marching alongside children and teenagers in uniforms resembling those associated with the First Aid Group of Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’ah Wa Iqamatis Sunnah (JIBWIS), also known as Izala, attracted widespread media attention. JIBWIS is a prominent Muslim organisation in Nigeria.

In the video, the young man was heard calling for an AK-47 rifle to go to Enugu and Plateau states to kill people he described as infidels.

The English translation of his statement reads: “Give me AK-47 to go to Enugu and open fire on the infidels on every Sunday while they are happy and clapping.”

The video immediately generated widespread condemnation, with many social media users using it to attack JIBWIS, Islam and Muslims generally. Some have also used the incident to reinforce negative stereotypes about Muslims and portray Islam as a religion that promotes violence.

Interestingly, this development came barely a week after reports circulated that Saudi Arabia had executed two Bangladeshi national couple, for sharing a forehead kiss inside a mosque in Makkah.

However, fact-checking reports found no reliable evidence to support the viral claim that the two were executed for kissing. Despite this, Islamophobic narratives spread widely across cyberspace, with some users amplifying the unverified claim in ways that portrayed Islam as a religion of violence.

In the case of the JIBWIS-related video, however, the offensive statements are clearly audible, even though some Muslims initially suggested that the footage might have been generated using artificial intelligence (AI).

The two JIBWIS factions led by Sheikh Abdullahi Bala Lau and Sheikh Muhammad Sani Yahaya Jingir promptly condemned the video and distanced themselves from the inflammatory statements, reaffirming their rejection of violence and threats against people of other faiths.

The Bala Lau-led faction called on security agencies to investigate the incident, while the Jingir-led faction also made it clear that it rejected violence.

Their prompt response and cooperation with the authorities may have helped facilitate the subsequent arrest of the 22-year-old suspect, Umar Ibrahim Gandi Maradun, from Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State, on Tuesday, October 27.

According to police statements, the suspect was handed over to the authorities, and an investigation commenced.

Preliminary findings indicated that the video was recorded on Friday, October 23, while the suspect and others were reportedly on their way to a mosque to provide security during Friday prayers and preaching. The authorities also disclosed that pupils from two Islamic schools appeared in the footage.

The police deserve commendation for their response and for taking steps to investigate a video capable of inflaming religious tensions.

However, while the video and its disturbing message deserve serious attention, it is equally important to avoid using the actions or statements of an individual to judge an entire religion or its followers. The conduct of one person, even when captured on video, does not represent the teachings of Islam or the position of the wider Muslim community.

Islam teaches respect for human life, justice and peaceful coexistence. The Qur’an states in Surah Al-Ma’idah, verse 32, that killing a person unjustly is a grave offence, while Surah Al-Mumtahanah, verse 8, encourages kindness and justice towards those who do not fight Muslims because of their religion or drive them from their homes. These teachings make it inappropriate to portray threats against innocent people simply because they belong to another faith as a representation of Islam.

It is therefore important that the incident be investigated on its merits, without allowing it to become an excuse for Islamophobic attacks or the demonisation of Muslims. Condemning a disturbing statement and defending Islam against misrepresentation are not mutually exclusive. Both can and should be done.

Searchlight must also be extended to other religious incitements

And with the swiftness with which the police reacted, it is important for the police and other security agencies to extend their searchlight to individuals and other religious groups whose actions and utterances have threatened Muslims, insulted Islam or fuelled religious tensions.

There have been documented reports of attacks on Muslim worshippers and mosques in Southwest Nigeria by violent masquerades and traditional worshippers, yet many of these infractions went investigated with no arrests made. In Ogun State, Punch reported that Oro adherents invaded Umar Bin Khattab Mosque in Idi-Iroko in July 2019, pelting the imam and congregation with stones and damaging mosque property. In August 2021, another clash during the Oro festival reportedly left Muslim cleric Bola Wasiu with machete injuries, while other worshippers, including women, were also attacked.

In Osun State, Vanguard reported that four Muslim worshippers, including the imam, were injured when Oro adherents entered Idi-Omo Mosque in Ile-Ife in March 2023 and attacked people preparing for prayers. In June 2021, a clash involving masquerade followers and Muslim worshippers in Osogbo left one Muslim leader dead and 14 people injured, among other instances.

These incidents cannot simply be ignored when discussing religious intolerance and threats to peaceful coexistence. The authorities should also examine the controversy surrounding traditional religion extremist Tani Olohun, whose video mocking Islamic prayer and making offensive remarks about Islam sparked outrage among Muslims. Despite having been imprisoned over such offences, he continues to post provocative content online, ridiculing the religion and attacking Muslim leaders.

Similarly, credible concerns arising from inflammatory statements by prominent Christian figures, including Bishop David Oyedepo and Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo deserve appropriate scrutiny where there is evidence of threats or incitement.

In November 2025, Bishop David Oyedepo calling Muslims “Islamic jihadists” in generalisations of offenses committed by individuals while speaking about insecurity in Nigeria and declaring that the country would never become an Islamic state.

More recently, Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo came under scrutiny for providing a platform for American missionary Alex Barbir, whom the Federal Government expelled in April 2026 over statements capable of inciting violence and deepening religious divisions, particularly in Plateau State.

Interestingly, incidents involving Muslims often attract intense media attention and are seized upon by Islamophobic voices to stigmatise Islam and its followers; but attacks on Muslims, assaults on mosques and provocations against Islamic beliefs do not always receive comparable scrutiny. Such selective outrage reinforces perceptions of bias and risks allowing those responsible for offences against Muslims to escape accountability.

The police must investigate credible reports of threats, assaults, attacks on places of worship and religious incitement, regardless of the religious identity of those involved. Fair and consistent enforcement of the law is essential to preventing isolated incidents from escalating into wider communal violence.

Muslim organisations and scholars must, for their part, continue to condemn violence in accordance with the teachings of Islam, even when doing so puts their lives at risk. A tragic example is Sheikh Yahaya Ibrahim Masussuka, a 47-year-old Islamic scholar who was shot dead outside his home in Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State. He was widely recognised for using digital and social media platforms to preach against violent extremist ideologies and advocate interfaith dialogue.

Unfortunately, his killing did not receive the same level of media attention that similar incidents involving non-Muslims might attract. Such disparities raise concerns about selective media scrutiny and how incidents involving Muslims can be amplified to stigmatise Islam, while the sacrifices of Muslim scholars who oppose extremism receive comparatively little attention. This imbalance risks reinforcing prejudice rather than promoting a fair understanding of religious violence and those working to prevent it.

Part two of this editorial will examine the lessons Islamic organisations can learn from the incident, particularly the need to professionalise public relations, strengthen social media governance, regulate the recording and publication of sensitive content, and invest in crisis communication to protect institutional credibility and public trust.

* Rasheed Abubakar is the Publisher of Muslim News Nigeria. Email: muslimnewsng@gmail.com

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