An Islamic group, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has called on the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to ban the latest single of controversial Nigerian singer, Habeeb Okikiola, popularly known as Portable, from airwaves in the country.

MURIC, in a statement issued earlier in the week by its director, Prof Ishaq Akintola, condemned the song for having the potential to encourage ritual killing and mislead the Nigerian youth.

The group said it found the song disgusting, detestable and egregious, adding that it is a brazen assault on Nigerian and African values.

He said Portable’s latest song had reduced human life to the level of that of ordinary ants that can be stamped out under human feet without qualms and consequences.

Akintola also cited examples of three teenagers caught attempting to kill a 13-year-old girl for a money ritual in Bayelsa State in January 2022 and four teenagers living in Abeokuta, Ogun State, who killed a girlfriend of one of them for money ritual purposes.

The group therefore appealed to NBC, the National Film and Video Censors Board, NFVCB; the Nigerian Copyright Commission, NCC and the Performing Musicians’ Association of Nigeria, PMAN, to take necessary action.

The statement partly reads: “MURIC calls on all men of goodwill, all mothers in Nigeria, Muslim and Christian leaders to rise against the madness called ‘Yahoo Yahoo’ and ritual killings among young ones whose ambassador has just released this horrendous song in their praise. ‘Kuku Do Ritual’ is nothing but a eulogy to glorify and elevate the names of ritual killers to high heaven.

“This album calls for immediate action from Nigeria’s traditional rulers. They are the custodians of our tradition. We therefore take our cry for help to these royal fathers to speak up on this sacrilegious song released by ‘Portable’. They must put pressure on the authorities to stop the circulation and broadcast of this album on any radio or television station and through any medium whatsoever.

“We invite the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) and the Performing Musicians’ Association of Nigeria (PMAN) to take necessary action with military dispatch.

“We see no reason why the security agencies should not investigate the author of this most embarrassing and irrational song to explain the number of rituals in which he has indulged. A scapegoat must be made of this album and its artist before the trend escalates.

“Nobody should hide behind artistic privilege, poetic license or freedom of expression to launch such barbaric offensive on our culture, our norms and our values. This is beyond free speech. It is criminal speech. It is incitement to commit murder. It is instigation to criminality. It is a bestial invasion on decency and good manners. It is Bohemian.”

By Yinka Akanbi