by Emeka Nwankwo
Following the resounding silence on the whereabouts of the Shi’ite leader in Nigeria, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky, and the several unanswered questions over the controversial attack on the Shi’ite base in Zaria, Kaduna state, The Islamic Movement in Nigeria, on Thursday, released a statement which contained fresh information.
The statement, which was signed by the Shiite sect’s spokesperson, Ibrahim Musa, confirmed that Sheikh Zakzaky, and his wife, Zeenah Ibraheem, were recovering from bullet injuries in an undisclosed location in Abuja.
This information, Musa says was gathered from a member of the contact committee setup by the National Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA).
“The Islamic movement welcomes this development. It is a step forward in quelling the anxiety of the teeming millions Muslims and Non-Muslims alike, all over the globe, in knowing at least the where about of the Sheikh and the condition of his health,” the statement read.
The group, however, remained unwavering in their request that the Sheikh be set free and listed their grievances:
“However, we are still adamant in our request that the Sheikh be set free unconditionally, because up to now the government has not been able to justify the unjustifiable atrocities committed by the army that led to his arrest.
“So far we have been able to establish some figures that indicate how gruesome the avoidable attack by the Nigerian army has been.
“In our list there are about 730 people, men and women, who are still missing, since that fateful Saturday 12th December, 2015. These missing people were either killed by the army or are in detention, but whose where about is still unknown and undisclosed.
Also there are 220 brothers of the Islamic movement in detention in Kaduna Central prison, some of them with fatal gun wounds and burns.”
“Reliable reports from some detention facilities owned by the Nigerian army in Kaduna, Bauchi and Abuja have confirmed the detention of some brothers of the Islamic movement therein.
As at the time of writing this statement, no single corpse has been handed to the families of those killed.”
The statement further called upon the federal government to state the condition of their members missing since the attack, if they are injured and receiving treatment, and if dead, when their bodies will be released to relatives for proper burial.
Whilst imploring on Nigerians and Human Right Activist to continue pressuring the government for justice, they, however, called on the government for:
- The unconditional release of our leader, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky and all his followers unjustifiably being detained.
- Corpses of those killed should be handed over for proper and befitting Islamic burial.
3.We also reiterate that an independent judicial commission under the watchful eyes of the international community be set up to unearth the truth in this matter and the perpetrators of the Zaria 12th -14th pogrom(massacre) be brought to book. Only then can justice be seen and said to have been done.
