‘We will not appear before Judicial Commission of Inquiry unless El-Zakzaky is released’ – Shiites

– Members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) also known as Shiites have rebuffed the Northern State Governors Forum (NSGF) regarding appearing before the Judicial Commission of Inquiry (JCI) in Kaduna state

– Governor Nasir El-Rufai set up the panel in order to investigate what actually ensued between members of the IMN and the soldiers in Zaria in December, 2015

– The Shiite group said the only reason that will make members come before the JCI is the unconditional release of their leader, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky

Some critics of the Nigerian army have written so much about the Zaria massacre as, some said, it is not surprising that the army with its long history of human rights violations is again at the centre of this vicious cycle of arbitrary execution.

The leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), Ibrahim El-Zakzaky was arrested and imprisoned since last year, after members of his group clashed with the military in Zaria, Kaduna state. So many lives were lost as a result of the deadly clash.

READ ALSO: Army denies plans to exhume bodies from Zaria mass grave

Information gotten revealed that no fewer than 347 people were killed during the clash, after some witnesses stated what happened in front of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry, set up by the Kaduna state government.

In a communiqué released by the umbrella body of the Northern governors, that is the NGSF, the governors urged the Shiite group to assist the JCI in its findings. However, in a statement issued by the spokesman of the IMN, Mr Ibrahim Musa, he said the only condition that will make members of his group appear before the panel is the unconditional release of Ibrahim El-Zakzaky.

READ ALSO: One more Shiite group decries El-Zakzaky’s movement

The Shiite group’s spokesman said: “We appreciate the governors’ call, at least it is an acknowledgement on their part that something unfortunate in the history of the North happened in Zaria that if not handled fairly and justly could have long-term consequences for the region and the country in general.” 

Musa said the reasons why members are distancing themselves from the JCI, regardless of what the Northern governors and general public are saying, have not been addressed by the Kaduna state government, saying, “the continued incarceration of the leader of the Islamic Movement, Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, who we all know was attacked in his own house towards midnight in what the Army termed ‘cordoned and search’ operation without any justification.

“The crux of the matter is that there is simply no rational basis for the soldier’s attack in his residence in the first place. In effect justice demands that Sheikh El-Zakzaky is supposed to be a free man so that he can give his own input to the Commission on his own volition.

“As things stands now, those who are accused of killing at least 1000 people including women and children are roaming about freely, despite admission that they buried at least 347 of those in a night burial in a mass grave in an attempt to hide their crime.”

The Shiite member said despite the fact that their leader and some of his followings are behind bars and are facing trial have made them to maintain absolute peaceful coexistence with the society. He stated: “IMN firmly believes that for justice to be seen to be done, Sheikh El-Zakzaky should be promptly set free unconditionally.

“We have already pointed out to the government and the public that among the ’13 wise men and women’ of the Commission are three people who are well known in their hate campaigns against the IMN. This has not been addressed too.

“What we had expected the NSGF to have dwelt up is not our absence from the proceedings of the Commission but the disturbing facts emanating from the confessions of the Kaduna state government in the mass burial of 347 people and the denial of such a war crime by the soldiers involved. The army admitted before the panel that it handed ‘few corpses’ for the mass burial. Our records shows that close to 400 others remain unaccounted for.

“Thus the NSGF ought to be sufficiently disturbed that a ‘few’ of their citizens were secretly buried in mass grave by one of their members and even more disturbing is the majority of the victims are yet to be accounted for. Did they task Governor Nasir El-Rufai to explain?

“The Islamic Movement sincerely believes it is not too late for the NSGF to demand for the immediate release of Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky and other members of IMN in detention. It is only when victims of the military attack in Zaria are savouring their freedom just like their attackers that justice might be expected from any judicial commission of inquiry.”

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