The Kaduna state government revealed on Monday, that 347 persons were killed during the December 12 Shiite/Nigerian Army clash in Zaria.
This disclosure was made by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Balarabe Lawal, during the ongoing public hearing of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the clash.
Lawal said that 191 corpses were taken from the Nigerian Army Depot, Zaria, and were buried in Mando area in Kaduna while 156 corpses were transferred from Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, also, to the Mando area.
According to the state government, the corpses were buried in a mass grave at the Mando area while noting that 189 suspects were being prosecuted for alleged involvement in the Zaria crisis.
He however, stated that one suspect had died in custody.
Lawal further said the state government had received several security reports from the Directorate of State Service, on the activities of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria – which is headed by Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky.
He claimed that several measures had been taken to address the situation before it eventually culminated into the clash with the Nigerian Army.
Speaking in the same vein, another witness – the Director-General of Kaduna State Interfaith Agency, Namadi Musa, said the mass burial was conducted on December 14 and 15.
Musa said the burial took the officials about six hours to complete.
“The mass burial was authorised through a warrant of burial obtained from a Kaduna Chief Magistrate’s Court in Kaduna.”
