News Release: Evil Plots To Unleash Mayhem During This Year's Arbaeen Trek Uncovered
It has come to our notice that security agents have perfected plans to cause
mayhem during our annual symbolic Arbaeen trek, commemorating a similar trek
the Umayyad ruler Yazid subjected family members of Prophet Muhammad (AS) to,
from Karbala to Damascus in the year 680AD.
This trek is a religious duty, which the faithfuls embark on, as a mark of
answering of the call to help of Imam Hussein (AS) on the plains of Karbala,
which many quotations of our Prophet (S) enticed faithfuls to answer, even if
it were to be by crawling. It is purely symbolic and is done by millions of
faithfuls worldwide.
In Nigeria however, opponents who do not want anything of that tyranny
against the family of our Prophet (AS) remembered and exposed had always used
various plots and evil schemes to demonize the symbolic trek and even stop it
by hook or crook means and the use of force. We have observed that the idea of
trekking to mark or celebrate an event is not alien or new after all. Several
people trekked much longer distances to celebrate the victory of President
Buhari at the polls last year with pomp and pleasantries. That was a political
trek. Ours is a solemn trek and a religious duty. We never force anyone to
embark on it, we never molest anyone from start to finish and we must be
allowed to exercise our religious obligation.
This year however, credible sources have confirmed to us that they plan to
attack the trekkers in various guise at multiple locations and also burn
residences and business premises of the trekkers back in their towns while they
are away on the trek. This evil plot involves the use of thugs along all the
routes, who would attack especially at night while the trekkers take a rest in
camps, kill as many as possible and raze their temporary shelters. Transporters
will also be threatened with destruction of their vehicles if they allowed them
to be used in anyway for the symbolic trek.
Part of the plot also involves telling hospitals not to accept victims of
their planned attacks for treatment. A list of very prominent members of
Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) has also been drawn, and the later are to be
targeted for assassination in this devilish scheme. It has been arranged that
southerners both Muslims & Christians that reside in the north will
be killed in order to create an influx of refugees from North to Southern part
of the country. All these are what the exposed plot called measures to be taken
in the short term.
The long-term plans involve the continued use of paid preachers, who would
intensify the hate preaching against IMN, and these will be availed with
various facilities to ease their assignment. Furthermore, it was also agreed
that more civil organisations will be bankrolled to keep denting the image of IMN
in and outside the shores of this country. This they said must be taken
seriously because the IMN is garnering sympathy and support from unexpected
quarters in and outside the country, which they resolved to halt and reverse by
all means possible.
The Islamic Movement in Nigeria would however once more like to assure the
general public and well meaning Nigerians as well as the international
community that the annual symbolic Arbaeen trek, which comes up in few weeks
time, remains a peaceful religious duty to be conducted by faithfuls as have
been done in the last five years since it was started. It is on record that not
even last year, when security agents under the cover of Boko Haram detonated a
bomb killing 32 persons along the Kano axis, was the trek even disrupted talk
less of turning violent. In spite of the spurious allegations of blocking
roads, an unjustified charge, we do not prevent motorists and other road users
from using the roads. It is also on record that we lost quite a number of
persons in previous years who were knocked down by reckless drivers during the
trek, which would not have happened if we blocked the roads or prevented others
from using the roads.
IMN is being vigorously persecuted by all levels of government, using all
coercive apparatus of state, clearly in flagrant violation of our right to
religious gathering and association. These efforts by security forces to
scuttle the annual symbolic Arbaeen trek must be seen in that light. We
therefore draw the attention of the public and the international community that
whatever happens to IMN members during the trek, the Nigerian authorities must
be held responsible.
Lastly, we still demand for the unconditional release of our incarcerated
leader, Sheikh Zakzaky and all those in detention since the December 2015 Zaria
massacre by the Army.
Signed:
Ibrahim Musa
President
Media Forum Of IMN
0805 079 6093
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