A call has gone to people of the South West to desist from encroaching on the rights of Yoruba Muslim traditional rulers.

The call was made by a faith-based human rights organization, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), on the need to respect the rights of Muslim traditional rulers who wish to live, die and be buried as Muslims.

Making the call on Monday, 27th October, 2025 was the Executive Director of a civil liberties organization for Nigerian Muslims, Professor Ishaq Akintola.

The full message reads:

“Muslim traditional rulers have been condemned in recent times for exhibiting their preference for Islamic practices in their personal affairs like worship, death and burial. Their detractors argue that they had no right to demand any other treatment apart from traditional way of life since they are traditional rulers.

“We assert the right of Muslim traditional rulers to follow their chosen faith. It should be noted that a Muslim king is more often than not crowned as a Muslim because, ceteris paribus, he was a Muslim before becoming king and nothing has changed in his anatomy, physiology or lineage.

“This does not stop him from carrying out his duties as king over all: Muslims, Christians, traditionalists. He is expected to be fair to all regardless of religious leaning. Neither is he expected, even as a Muslim, to totally abandon any group. The worst case scenario is the delegation of duties but his presence must be felt in all groups no matter what form.

“But to insist that a Muslim king must live as a traditional worshipper or be buried as one is crossing the red line. It amounts to religious coercion. Yoruba traditional worshippers have failed to demonstrate the spirit of liberalism in matters of religion. It is sad that there have been so many cases of forceful conversion at the shrines where the children of deceased traditionalists are made to accept traditional religion willy-nilly. It must stop.

“This practice is contrary to the letter and spirit of Section 38(i)&(ii) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended 2011) which stipulates freedom of religion. Yorubaland is an integral part of Nigeria and this Constitution is supreme (Chapter 1, Part 1, Section 1).

“All forms of coercion, intimidation, bullying and threats aimed at forcing Yoruba kings to abandon their faith should therefore stop forthwith. Any king who wishes to follow traditionalists is free to do so but Muslim kings who expressly desire to live and die as Muslims should be left alone.”