The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has petitioned the Nigerian Army over the alleged closure of the daily prayers mosque in the Mogadishu Cantonment, Abuja, since 12th October, 2026.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, 20th October, 2026, by its Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, the Islamic human rights group described the closure as a violation of freedom of worship and a denial of the fundamental right of Muslim soldiers, their families and civilian staff to observe their five daily prayers.
*”As a daily prayer mosque, this closure implies serious disruption of the daily prayers of Muslim soldiers and civilians who, ceteris paribus, should observe their prayers there five times daily as required by the dictate of Islam.*
”The Glorious Qur’an 4:103 affirms that the daily prayers are compulsory for Muslims at prescribed times (kitaaban maoquutan). Therefore the closure of any mosque anywhere and at any time and by whosoever without the approval of the Muslim congregation who are using the mosque constitutes a denial of the right to worship one’s Creator.
*”This closure is in contravention of Allah-given fundamental human right to freedom of worship as guaranteed by Section 38(i) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.*
*”We therefore demand the immediate reopening of the mosque or the provision of convincing and incontrovertible reason for such closure. Continued closure without any explanation will tantamount to impunity.*
”We assert that behavior with impunity is unwholesome and unacceptable in a democratic setting. It runs counter to the principles of probity and accountability. Democracy is not a respecter of any institution no matter how powerful. Even the army must be held accountable in a democracy.
*”With the two churches in the same cantonment open and fully operational for Christians, we see no reason for closing the daily prayer mosque being used by Muslims. Muslim worshippers find the Central Mosque within the cantonment inconvenient for daily worship due to its distance from dwelling places.*
”Since the closure, Muslim personnel, families and civilian staff around that general area have been deprived of a place to observe daily obligatory prayers unless they trekked down to the central mosque which is too far away from their homes and blocks. Whoever closed the daily prayer mosque has created a wedge between Muslims living in the cantonment and their Creator (Almighty Allah) in terms of daily and regular communion.
”We remind the authorities that even soldiers are still human beings and man is body, soul and spirit. Our soldiers still need to regularly communicate with their Creator in order to spiritually compliment their physical, material and social needs. Only thus can they fulfil their duties as upholders and defenders of the territorial integrity of their fatherland.
”We therefore plead with the authorities of the cantonment to reopen the daily mosque for easy access to Muslim personnel, their families and civilian staff.”
MURIC therefore demanded the immediate reopening of the mosque or a convincing explanation from the military authorities at the Army Headquarters for its continued closure.