The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has given the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (rtd), 14 days to take decisive steps to stop killings and attacks in Sokoto State or resign from office.
MURIC said the ultimatum will begin on Monday, August 24, 2026, and expects the Defence Minister to deliver visible and lasting improvements in security across Sokoto before the deadline expires.
The organisation said the situation in the state had reached a point where stronger action could no longer be delayed.
MURIC’s Founder and Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, made the demand in a statement issued on Saturday.
He said the group was particularly concerned about the rising number of deaths and abductions recorded in different parts of Sokoto in recent weeks.
According to him, at least 43 people and an imam were killed in attacks across the state within the past three weeks, while 19 others were abducted during the same period.
Akintola said the victims were Muslims, stressing that the attacks had continued to create fear among residents and force some communities to abandon their homes.
He linked the organisation’s demand to a pledge made by Musa when he assumed office as Defence Minister.
MURIC said the minister had promised to tackle insecurity and had pledged not to fail himself, his family or the Nigerian nation.
Akintola quoted the minister as saying, “…I knew that I could not afford to fail myself, fail my nation, fail my family…”.
MURIC argued that the continuing violence in Sokoto showed that the promise had not been achieved.
The organisation said farmers were increasingly afraid to access their farms, while residents in rural communities were being forced to seek safety elsewhere.
It also raised concerns about travellers who, according to the group, were being abducted along roads and held for ransom.
MURIC said the security situation was no longer limited to isolated attacks on villages. It argued that the growing threats were putting pressure on the wider security structure in the state.
The group also drew attention to the strategic importance of Sokoto.
Akintola described the state as the centre of the Nigerian Muslim community and said attacks there should be treated with particular seriousness by the security agencies.
“If Abuja is Nigeria’s political capital, if Lagos is the country’s economic hub, then Sokoto is the heart of Islamdom in Nigeria,” he said.
MURIC said the Nigerian Army and other security agencies must strengthen their presence around vulnerable communities and key locations in the state.
It specifically called for what it described as an “iron-clad defense mechanism” around Sokoto.
The organisation also criticised the security situation against the backdrop of a recent warning by the Department of State Services (DSS).
The DSS had warned the Sokoto State Government about intelligence indicating that terrorist and bandit groups were planning attacks on tertiary institutions across the state.
The warning raised concerns about possible abductions involving students, lecturers, non-academic staff and their relatives.
The security agency said the criminal groups appeared to be changing their tactics by shifting attention from primary and secondary schools to universities and other higher institutions.
The DSS also called for stronger security arrangements around tertiary institutions and urged authorities to act before any attack takes place.
MURIC described the DSS warning as a serious development that could no longer be ignored.
Akintola said the latest warning represented another indication that insecurity was spreading into areas that should be protected.
“Just yesterday, the Department of State Services (DSS) warned that terrorists were planning to attack tertiary institutions in Sokoto State,” he said.
“This is the last straw that broke the camel’s back. We cannot take any more. The Defense Minister cannot eat his cake and have it. He cannot stand akimbo while the seat of the caliphate is burning and still keep his ministry”, the group said.
MURIC therefore placed the Defence Minister on a 14-day deadline.
The group wants the government to make what it called “vissible, tangible and reliable changes” to the security arrangements in and around Sokoto during the period.
“We, therefore give the Minister of Defense 14 days starting from Monday, 24th August 2026 to make vissible, tangible and reliable changes in the security paraphernalia in and around Sokoto such that the state will become impregnable and unassailable,” MURIC said.
“The city of Sokoto must be swept clean. In particular, no single ant must climb on the Sultan’s skin.”
The organisation said it would consider the minister’s resignation the only alternative if the security situation did not improve before the ultimatum expires.
“The alternative is for the minister to submit his letter of resignation on or before the ultimatum. There is no other option on the table,” MURIC said.
MURIC said the Federal Government must therefore treat the situation as an urgent national security matter.
