The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Army/Shi’ites clash

  • Army/Shiites Clash : El-Rufai raises white paper committee

    Army/Shiites Clash : El-Rufai raises white paper committee

    Gov. Nasiru El-Rufai of Kaduna State has set up a nine -man committee to produce a white paper on the report of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the Army/Shiites.

    The Army/Shiites clash in Zaria last December.

    This is contained in a statement issued by Mr Samuel Aruwan, Media aide to the governor, in Kaduna on Wednesday

    El-Rufai said that the committee would commence work immediately and submit the draft white paper within two weeks.

    The committee is headed by Adamu Mansur, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education.

    The governor also mandated the committee to make any other recommendation that would assist government in addressing issues raised in the report.

    The committee members were the permanent secretaries of the Ministries of Environment and Natural Resources, Works, Housing and Transport, Local Government, Cabinet Affairs and Special Services.

    The other members were the permanent secretaries Ministry of Justice, Civil Service Commission, and Mr M. Aliyu of the Ministry of Justice, as well as Mr Alexander Sule of the Office of the Secretary to the State Government.

  • Zaria clash: Accused Shi’ite member dies in prison custody 

    Zaria clash: Accused Shi’ite member dies in prison custody 

    A Kaduna State High Court 6, presided over by Justice David Wyoms was Wednesday informed that one of the 80 accused persons charged and arraigned for culpable homicide following December 12-14, 2015, Shiites/Army clash in Zaria has died in prison custody.

    The State Prosecutor, Mr. Dari Bayero, told the Court of the death of one Abbas Isiyaku in prison custody, and asked that his name be struck from the list of the 80 accused persons.

    The presiding Judge immediately granted that the deceased name be removed.

    The accused persons are also charged with criminal conspiracy, unlawful assembly, disturbance of public peace and wrongful restrain during the Zaria clash.

    According to Bayero, “before your Lordship is a charge under sections 97, 221, 102,106 and 256 of the Penal Code Law of Kaduna State for mention. Before we start, I apply that the name of Abbas Isiyaku be struck off the list. He is deceased,” Bayero said.

    The lead defending counsel to the accused persons, Mr. Festus Okoye did not object to the striking of the deceased name, saying, “No objection. The said accused person died in prison custody”.

    Justice Wyoms said, “The name of accused person no 28 is hereby struck out”.

    However, Bayero further informed the court that, “Accused persons nos 42-80 are women and were released on bail to one Musa Usman. He is in court. Earlier, before the Hon. Justice Hannatu Balogun in Court 8, in a sister case he undertook to produce those he took on bail and he asked for time. The learned Judge granted him time. I pray that the honourable court should grant him time to produce those he took on bail”.

    But Okoye objected to Bayero’s  submission, saying, “Accused 42-80 are women, children and minors. Alhaji Musa Usman did not take them on bail.

    “The Police released them to him on grounds that the State claimed that they do not want to prosecute women, children and minors. Alhaji Musa is here and it is only fair to allow him tell the Court what transpired between him and the Police”.

    In the process, the presiding Judge asked Alhaji Musa Usman, “Where are the people that were released to you”?.

    According to Alhaji Musa Usman, “On Friday 18th December 2015, around 11am one Sayyed Babangida called me and said that the Commissioner of Police wants to see us.

    “We met with him and he said that he has been given directives to release women and children. That he wants us to help him get buses to convey the women and children to their various destinations.

    “I made calls and got the buses and he said that we must conclude their evacuation within 10 minutes. The women and children were brought from various cells and put in the buses. I did not even see their faces. One of the buses took those going towards Abuja and Minna and another took those going towards Zaria and Kano. This is what happened on that day”.

    Okoye added, “My Lord I was not at the Police station when the Commissioner of Police and Alhaji Musa Usman entered into this agreement. My learned colleague the DPP of Kaduna State was not there.

    “Alhaji Musa Usman said he took a nursing mother on bail and a few accused persons with gunshot wounds but that the Police released women and children unconditionally. (The bail applications given to him).

    “My Lord, there are three documents. Alhaji Musa signed two of the documents but the last document contained a long list was fraudulently attached to a bail bond to give the impression that he took over sixty of the women and children on bail. The Police gave Alhaji Musa the last list on Friday the 6th day of May 2016″.

    But the presiding Judge said, “I have listened to the submissions of both parties concerning accused persons no 42-80. From the documents submitted by the DPP, Alhaji Musa sought for the bail of some of the accused persons and some were released to him.

    “The State preferred the charges before this court. It is noted that some accused persons are not in court and were released on bail by the Police.

    “It is the duty of the Police to ensure that the accused persons are in court. If Alhaji Musa does not fulfil the conditions of bail given by the Police, the Police know what to do”.

    To this end, Bayero demanded for a new date for the Sureties to producec the accused persons,  “I want a date for the sureties to produce the accused persons. We want a date after June 20, 2015”.

    But Okoye said, “We apply for an earlier date because all the accused persons before my Lord have been in custody since the 13th of December 2016. So many of them are sick and some are carrying gunshot wounds. We want a speedy trial for all of them.

    “The DPP has not shown that it is only after the 20th of June that the people can be produced. I humbly ask for an earlier date”.

    However, the presiding Judge adjourned the case, saying, “For the sake of fairness I will adjourn the matter to the 21st of June, 2016 for further mention”.

     

     

  • Zaria clash: Zakzaky’s brother backs Army action

    Zaria clash: Zakzaky’s brother backs Army action

    Elder brother of the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria otherwise known as Shiite group, Sheikh Ibraheem Yaqoob El-Zakzaky, Muhammad Sani Yaqoob, yesterday said he is very happy with the actions taken by the Nigerian Army in the last December clash between the Army and the Shi’ites in Zaria.

    Muhammad Sani Yaqoob, made this submission at the ongoing Judicial Commission of inquiry probing the clash in Kaduna on Monday.

    He continued when he said, the Nigerian Army would have been useless if they had made a u-turn on the spot of the Zaria clash where the members of the Shi’ites group barricaded the convoy of the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai.

    Muhammad, who spoke in Hausa told the gathering that he shared the same father with El-Zakzaky, but different mothers. He said there was no clash between him and El-Zakzaky while growing up except that he has different ideology.

    He said El-Zakzaky is 4th child in the family of 16, describing him as very sharp and intelligent.

    Muhammad Sani Yaqoob who is also the Chairman of Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’ah Wa’iqamatis Sunnah, (JIBWIS) in Zaria  said the Shiite group were being funded by Iran.

    According to him, “They are funded by Iran. They go to Iran twice in a year and they meet there. I have people who after they come back from their trip do come and tell me,” he said.

    He said the Second in Command to Sheikh El-Zakzaky, Muhammad Turi fueled the Army/Shiite clash, with the Sheikh himself as the root cause.

    However, he recommended to the sitting that whoever is found wanting after compilation of its report should be made to face the wrath of the Law.

  • Army/Shi’ites clash: Probe panel begins hearing

    Army/Shi’ites clash: Probe panel begins hearing

    Commission of Inquiry set up to look into last year’s bloody clash between men of Nigerian Army (NA) and members of Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), popularly known as Shi’ite sect in Zaria Wednesday began hearing of memoranda submitted to it by NA and others despite the absence of representatives of the Shi’ites.

    This came after series of adjournment due to inability of counsels to IMN to see their main client, Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky, who is said to be in the custody of Directorate of State Security (DSS) since the time of incident.

    Meanwhile, Army presented four witnesses who were part of the convoy of Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Tukur Buratai on the fateful day. The witnesses include Major-General Ado Abubakar, Major-General Adeniyi Oyebade, Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman and Brigadier-General Ayuba Ted Gamma.

    Earlier, Chairman of Commission, Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba, told the gathering that the commission was satisfied that every opportunity been afforded the IMN for fair hearing.

    According to him, “I have said it before, this commission cannot compel the IMN whether to appear before it or not. Whether they change their mind or not to appear, the commission will continue with the hearing to conclusion and submit its reports,” he stated.

    After about seven hours of presentation by Army, Justice Mohammed told every party that submitted memoranda to get ready as the hearing continues Thursday, saying if the IMN fails to appear again today, then the commission will hear from the next party.

    The Nation recalled that the Commission of Inquiry had six weeks from its first sitting to submit its final report with the first public sitting holding on 22nd February 2016, but extended by four weeks following the request for additional time by its chairman.

    It would also be that one of the counsels to IMN, Barrister Fetus Okoye, had said that that the movement was withdrawing from the commission based on their inability to see Zakzaky after several attempts.