"We strongly advise that the Federal Government wakes up to its responsibility and proscribes the lawless terrorist organisation that IMN has proven itself to be. And the hate speech by the organisation must be curtailed immediately and the failure for the Federal Government to act within the next 72 hours will force the CSOs to stage a mass protest in Abuja on Monday next week."
A Coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) has condemned the "dubious sectarian creeds" of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN).
While calling on the Federal Government to ensure that the "hate speech by the organisation is curtailed immediately", the CSOs challenged the Federal Government to proscribe IMN "within the next 72 hours", otherwise they will stage a mass protest in Abuja next Monday.
Speaking on the recent protest by the organisation in Abuja, the group noted that only a few organisations and individuals have been "objective enough to condemn the acts of terrorism being committed by IMN".
Adodo Solomon, convener of the organisation, urged security operatives to "rein in the sect", insisting that the activities of the sect must be curtailed before it "snowballls into hardened extremism like that of Boko Haram".
He said: "Our groups have followed the interventions being made in this matter with keen interest and a large dose of concern chiefly because a few organisations and individuals have been objective enough to condemn the acts of terrorism being committed by IMN.
"We recognise that some people that think they are being objective have in reality been manipulated by IMN propaganda, which was designed and developed offshore to be ruthlessly efficient. We therefore caution the appropriate military and security agencies that they have limited time to contain the lawlessness of IMN and take steps to make its members desist from fomenting trouble forthwith.
"The demanded actions will include identifying the cell leaders that are coordinating these attacks on Nigerians and those with the duty of protecting them. Where the authorities fail to rein in the IMN, we have no other option than to come out in full to demonstrate that it is not only IMN that has the monopoly to protest.
"We shall meet the extremist group on the street member for member, until they learn to respect the secularity of Nigeria and the supremacy of the Nigerian Constitution over dubious sectarian creeds.
"We strongly advise that the Federal Government wakes up to its responsibility and proscribes the lawless terrorist organisation that IMN has proven itself to be. And the hate speech by the organisation must be curtailed immediately and the failure for the Federal Government to act within the next 72 hours will force the CSOs to stage a mass protest in Abuja on Monday next week."