The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Shiite sect

  • Zaria Clash: El-Zakzaky drags FG, Army, others to Court 

    Zaria Clash: El-Zakzaky drags FG, Army, others to Court 

    The leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), popularly known as the Shi’ite sect, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky who is still under custody dragged the Nigerian Army, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and others to the Federal High Court, demanding for N3bn as general damages.

    Others dragged sued alongside the Army and its chief are Director General State Security Services (SSS), Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) to court as 1st-5th respondents.

    In the suit with No FHC/ABJ/CS/247/16 the IMN leader through his counsels, Femi Falana SAN, Festus Okoye Esq, Maxwell Kyon Esq among others is seeking the enforcement of his fundamental rights to life, personal liberty, freedom of movement, dignity of the human person and right to private and family life.

    A copy of the suit made available to newsmen in Kaduna Wednesday at a press briefing read that, the applicant is also seeking an order of the court to compel the respondents jointly and severally to pay to their client the sum of three billion naira as general damages for the illegal violation of his fundamental rights to life, dignity of his person, fair hearing, privacy and private property.

    The applicant is seeking a declaration that the violent invasion of his private residence at No 1 Wali road, Gyallessu, Zaria in Kaduna State December 14, 2015 is a fragrant violation of his fundamental rights to privacy and private property as guaranteed‎ by the constitution.

    • A declaration that shooting of the applicant by armed soldiers who are members of the 1st respondent on Sunday, December 14, 2015 at his residence is illegal and unconstitutional.
    • A declaration that the cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment meted to the applicant by armed soldiers who are members of the 1st respondent is a fragrant vuolation of his foundamental right to dignity of human person as guarantted by the constitution.
    • A declaration that the extra judicial killing of ‎the appicants three children namely: Hameed Ibrahim (18), Ali Haidar Ibraheem (16), and Humaid Ibraheem (14) by armed soldiers who are agents of the 1st respondent at his residence in Gyallesu, the Hussainiya Baqiyyatulah and several other members of the IMN as on 14, 2015 is illegal and unconstitutional as it violates the foundamental right of the deceased to life.
    • A declaration that the arrest of the applicant without warrant i$gn his house at Zaria by armed soldiers who are agents of the 1st respondent on 14, December, 2015 is a fragrant violation of his fundamental rights to privacy and private property.
    • A declaration that the detention of the applicant at Kaduna and Abuja by the 2nd and 3rd respondents wihout access to mebers of his family and the IMN since December 14th 2015 till date is illegal and unconstitutional.
    • A declaration that the continued detention of the applicant from the 14th day of December 2015 till date without charging him to court of law is illegal and unconstitutional as it violate his fundamental right to fair hearing‎ as enshrined in the constitution.

    The counsels are also seeking an order of the court directing the immediate and unconditional release of the applicant from the custody of the second and third respondent.

    The counsel also sought an order of the court restraining the respondent from further arresting and or detaining and or harassing the applicant in any manner whatsoever and howsoever without lawful justification.

    Addressing newsmen on behalf of the Counsels, Festus Okoye stressed that, “The continued detention of the Islamic leader from 14th day of December, 2015 till date without charging him to court before a properly constituted court of law is illegal and unconstitutional as it violates his fundamental human rights to fair hearing as enshrined in section 36 (5) of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and article 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act (CAP A10) laws of the federation of Nigeria 2004.

    “That the arrest of the leader of the movement on 14th day of December, 2015 and his detention till date without access to his medical doctor is unconstitutional as it violates his fundamental rights to personal liberty and health as enshrined in section 35 of the constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria, (as amended) and articles 6 and 22 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act (CAP A10) Laws of the federation of Nigeria, 2004.”

    He expressed dismay with the extra judicial killing of the leader’s three children and hundreds of other members of the movement by the armed soldiers, adding that the arrest of El-Zakzaky without warrant in his home at No. 1 Wali road, Gyallesu, Zaria by armed soldiers was a flagrant violation of his fundamental rights to privacy and private property guaranteed by section 35 (1) (4) (6) of the constitution of Nigeria.

    Speaking on the Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up by the Kaduna State government, he said, the leader of the Islamic movement of Nigeria expressed his reservations about the movement putting his appearance before the commission of inquiry particularly considering the composition of the commission and the fact that the Nigerian Army is a federal institution that is not subject to the control of the Kaduna State government and its agencies.

    “During our conference with the leader of the Islamic movement of Nigeria, we notified him of the fact that the Kaduna State government has set up a judicial commission of inquiry to look into the remote and immediate causes of the Army/Shiite clash and also of the fact that scores of members of the movement lost their lives during the clash while over 200 of them are in prison custody on allegations of attempted murder of the Chief of Army Staff.

    “He instructed us to challenge the composition of the commission and its impartiality in court and also instructed that we file an application to enforce his fundamental rights which we agreed has been and are still being infringed upon by his continued detention without trial and without his having been informed of the basis upon which he was being detained.

    “On the 12th day of April 2016, we filed 2 originating motions before the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on behalf of the leader of the Islamic Movement and his wife, Zeenat. Joined in the said originating summons are the Nigerian Army, the Chief of Army Staff, the department of State Services, the Inspector General of Police and the Attorney General of the Federation seeking identical reliefs for both applicants,” he observed.

     

     

  • El-Rufai sees us as enemies -Shi’ite sect

    El-Rufai sees us as enemies -Shi’ite sect

    Islamic Movement in Nigeria, otherwise known as the Shi’ite sect, has described the Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai as their enemy and anti-Shi’ite governor.

    The sect in reaction to the Thursday night state broadcast by the governor on the recent clash between members of the sect and men of the Nigerian army stated categorically that, “It is clear that the governor is more like an extremist anti-Shi’ite governor and not a state governor.”

    Shi’ite in a rejoinder by the President of its media forum, Malam Ibrahim Musa said, “Going by the concept and tone of the state broadcast on the extra-judicial killing of thousands of members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria by the Nigerian Army, delivered by the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir Ahmed el-Rufai, it is clear that the governor is more like an extremist anti-Shi’ite governor and not a state governor.

    “Although the governor took his time in his speech to elaborate on rights to religion and social association, but he chose to deny only the Shi’ites such rights who he sees as his enemies.

    “Clearly, he spent considerable time collecting propaganda details indicting the movement, which further buttresses the point that the state governor has his hands soiled by the blood spilled in the mass extra-judicial killings perpetrated by the Army.

    “In that circumstance, no justice should be expected from a speech made up with details only provided by the antagonistic culprits without hearing from the other party who are the victims in this case.

    “During the one-sided speech, he brought up a number of allegations that he said they discovered. We will take up these one after the other:

    “He alleged that our centre had no building permit and such other allegations. One wonders why if the Kaduna state government felt the Hussainiyah was wrongly erected or breached planning permits, they did not resort to legal action rather than use of brutal force. Why not get a court order to effect an eviction? Or does the government mean there are no magistrates or Alkali left in Zaria anymore? For Governor El-Rufai to claim that there is no valid paper on the land on which Husainiyya was built as the basis for this military attack, only further proves that the attack was premeditated.

    “We are equally astonished when the Governor in his broadcast claimed that “they had tried to forcibly acquire the property of their neighbours; this is apart from subjecting residents to an illegal curfew.” We challenge the governor to cite one particular case where we forcibly acquired a property, let alone a time when we imposed curfew.

    “The governor also claimed that “There had been tension in parts of Zaria since Thursday, 10 December 2015, when members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria were alleged to have attacked Gabari, a community on the outskirts of Zaria, in continuation of a dispute over a mosque.”

    “We would like to ask Mr. Governor how many disputes over mosques have been reported in the 37 years that the IMN have been there in Zaria? The idea that Shiites will go and take over a Salafi mosque is as laughable as the idea that Christian evangelicals will raid a Catholic cathedral and tell the adherents to get out. This big lie cannot stand any scrutiny. What happened in Gabari is not “Mosque snatching” as the governor claims. It was a case of some Salafist bent on attacking the Shiites in the neighbourhood. In the process they killed one person the week before and a further three Shiites on Thursday. The governor cleverly stated this in his speech as if to show that we were not the victims but the assailants.

    “The Governor made mention of the Arbaeen symbolic trek as an instance where we blocked roads for four days when he stated, “In the last two weeks, the Islamic Movement of Nigeria has also illegally occupied federal roads. Over a period of four days, they took over one side of the federal expressway between Kaduna and Zaria, and the roads to Kano and Katsina.” Clearly, this is a deliberate attempt to twist the facts. During the Arbaeen symbolic treks, we block only limited part of the road, and this is to protect persons from traffic accidents, control mass movement and avoid chaos on the roads. The governor here was trying to give the impression of a complete occupation of a lane for four days. That was not the case. Blocks were only from junction to junction on the roads. The public was informed about these little inconveniences with apologies on public radio and television stations throughout the trek. Road users during the period would be surprised by the governor’s statement.

    “How does this compare with similar road blocks by others such as the Military itself that blocks from Jaji to Zaria, and at times from Kaduna to Zaria or within Zaria metropolis during their parades? Citing road block as the reason for this brutal attack is just laughable. Where in the law books is it written that those who block the roads should be massacred without trials?”

    The sect also accused the governor of fiddling with the truth by saying in his broadcast, “In addition, members of the movement are alleged to openly carry and use offensive weapons.” They challenged the governor to mention those weapons they found when security agents razed Husainiyya to the ground or Sheikh Zakzaky’s residence. While the military involved in this operation said in its press conference that they did not find any weapons after all the mass killings they did in Zaria, the governor in his desperate attempt to blacklist the movement, still talked of offensive weapons. From the speech of the governor one can deduce that he did all he can to portray the movement as assailants.

    “After leveling all allegations against the movement, the governor went ahead to talk of setting up a Judicial Board of inquiry. One wonders why he didn’t leave the inquiry to determine who are the assailants and who are the victims. Definitely the scope and mission of the inquiry could be problematic. The army is a federal institution. It would be difficult enough for a state judge to inquire into what they have done when they are not answerable to state officials. How will such a judge now also overturn conclusions already reached by the governor?”

     

  • Iran condemns attack on Nigeria’s Shi’ite sect

    Iran condemns attack on Nigeria’s Shi’ite sect

    … 60 killed in army raids on sect – Hospital

    The Iranian government has condemned the Nigerian Army attack on the Shi’ite sect and summoned the country’s representative in the country.

    The country’s new agency reported that Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called on the Nigerian government to take “prompt and serious” action on the matter.

    Meanwhile, at least 60 people were killed last weekend when the army raided a Shi’ite sect and arrested its leader in the northern in Zaria, the director of a local hospital told Reuters on Monday.

    The army said the Islamic Movement was trying to assassinate the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, when members of the sect blocked his convoy in Zaria on Saturday. The sect was conducting an annual ritual to usher in the month of Maulud, the birth month of the Prophet Mohammed.

    On Sunday, the army raided several buildings connected to the sect and the home of its leader, Ibrahim Zakzaky. They arrested him and killed key members of the group, including Zakzaky’s second-in-command and spokesman.

    “As of yesterday, we had 60 corpses in our morgue,” Khalid Lawal, the Chief Medical Director of Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, told Reuters by phone.

     

  • God saved me from Shiite sect members – Army chief

    God saved me from Shiite sect members – Army chief

    The Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai, on Monday said it was God that saved him from the hands of Shiite sect members during his encounter with them at the weekend.

    The Army Chief described the sect members as violent in their conduct during his encounter.

    Buratai spoke with reporters in Abuja shortly after an interactive session with members of the Senate Committee on Defence.

    A clash ensued on Saturday in Zaria, Kaduna State, between Shiite adherents and the convoy of the Army chief.

    Several people were killed in the incident.

    Buratai said, “You want to know how I escaped?  It was by the will of God that I was able to escape from that place.

    “I think NTA was there and they aired the clip. It was very clear. They were violent, definitely this is very clear, the clips are there. That was what happened.”

    The Army Chief, who urged Nigerians to be law abiding, insisted that “nobody should take the law into his hands.”