The Campaign for Democracy (CD)yesterday urged the federal government to release Sheik Ibrahim Zalzaky and his wife who have been in “protective custody”in the past five months.
Sheik Zazaky is the leader of Shiite, an Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) whose members were killed during a face-off between the Nigerian Army and Shia community in Zaria between December 12 and 14 2015.
The Nigerian Army had described the incident as an assassination attempt on the Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen. Buratai, while the killing had attracted local and global condemnations because it claimed many lives.
The CD in a statement signed by its National President, Ifeanyi Odili said if Sheik Zalzaky and his wife had committed any offence, he should be prosecuted in a competent court of jurisdiction ,rather than keeping him perpetually alongside his wife in prison custody.
This, the statement noted is a violation of their fundamental human rights guaranteed in the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended.
It said:”soon after the emergence of the extant National Administrative Council (NAC) of the CD, it has occupied itself with the way out of our logjam and has been reaching out to the aggrieved ethnic and religious groups to find a lasting solution to the ethno-religious crisis and the need to embrace peace in Nigeria.