It is now over one month since the Nigerian Army launched a
coordinate brutal attack on members of Islamic Movement in Nigeria,
IMN, that killed hundreds of people in Zaria after over 27 hours of indiscriminate shooting and bombing by the Army. Despite
this display of inhumanity and gross violation of fundamental human
rights, to which no remorse was shown by the state authorities for what
was undoubtedly a war crime against fellow Nigerians, the home
of the revered leader of the Movement Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky, two
Islamic Centers and the Cemetery/Film Village were demolished with
graves dug up and desecrated by the Kaduna state government.
Also, 13
other members of the Movement were killed by the Nigerian Police
during a peaceful procession they staged in Kaduna on Tuesday
15-12-15 condemning the continued detention of our Leader of the
Movement, His Eminence, Sheikh Ibraheem Yaqoub Zakzaky (H). Following
these brutalities by the Army, the IMN has so far compiled a list
of 730 missing persons that are either killed or in detention in
military
detention facilities, amongst who are hundreds of students
and members of the academic Forum of the Islamic Movement.
This is not
including the 220 members of the Movement in prison in Kaduna, amongst
whom are injured persons denied treatment. These demonic acts
perpetrated by the Nigerian Army has not only raised the Army’s human
rights abuse records but has also turned a lot of women into widows,
children into orphans and has also succeeded in wiping out a lot of
families.
All these have led millions of Nigerians into doubting the truth
of existence of any freedom of worship in the country as all
those killed were only killed for the crime of going to celebrate the
birth month of our beloved holy Prophet Muhammad (SAWA).
This followed
an initial cover up by the Army coined as “assassination attempt on
Chief of Army Staff COAS” which appeared rather stupid. It was later
followed by the “road blockage” theory which was laughable, and the
accusation of stockpiling arms to which not a single bullet was found in
all the places demolished after a claimed “cordon and search
operation”.
Generally, the authorities have remained insensitive about
our plight without showing any concern as they unjustly continue to
keep our revered leader Sheikh Zakzaky (H) in custody without
allowing any access to him. This is not talking about those who have been
given mass burial by the Army or even corpses burnt, amongst whom
are women and children, some of the women have even been molested
before they
were killed by the soldiers as confirmed by some of the
survivors who were also tortured after their abduction by them.
All these
were followed by propaganda by the government and the Army to
paint the Movement and its leader in bad light thereby instigating
sectarian sentiments and creating tension in the country. Although we
are aware that it is a deliberate attempt to intimidate and instigate
us into mob actions, we will never resort to anything outside the
normal legal process of seeking redress.
This is evident in the way we
acted last year when the same Nigerian Army attacked our members and
killed 34 of them including three biological sons of our leader Sayyid
Ibraheem Zakzaky. Hence, even now that they have killed three more of
his biological sons making six within a year, we still remain
undaunted, calm and resolute. These to us are only milestones in the
true path of Allah our creator.
Finally, the Academic Forum of the
Islamic Movement in Nigeria is hereby calling for immediate and unconditional
release of our revered leader his Eminence Sheikh El-Zakzaky (H),
and his wife as well as all other members in detention. Corpses of our
members killed by the Army, including students should be released to
us with immediate effect for burials according to Islamic rights. We
call on the government to summon courage and live up to its morality
and accept its crime by paying ‘diyyah’ to all affected families
and relations. .
Signed:
Shu’aibu Isah Ahmad
Chairman,
Academic forum of the Islamic movement in Nigeria
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