He queried why the Nigerian Army “becomes the prosecutor, the jury and the executioner “adding that the composition of the panel set up was faulty.”
Shi’ites protest for the release of El-Zakazky
Bothered by his state of health, over three weeks after his arrest and subsequent detention, members of the Islamic sect, Shi’ites, yesterday in Ibadan Oyo state has asked the Federal Government to tell Nigerians the where about of their leader, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky and his wife.
The South-South Leader of the Movement, Mallam Muftau Zakariya, said all members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria were anxious of the whereabouts of their leader.
He said: “The condition and whereabouts of their leader Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky, as well as that of his wife, are still unknown, over three weeks after their arrest and detention by the security operatives.”
Mallam Muftau Zakariya, who demanded the unconditional release of the Islamic Movement leader Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky, also demanded compensation for over 2,000 members who were allegedly massacred.
He said, “We demand formal apology from the SSS, Nigerian Army, and Nigeria Police Force. We demand payment for all Movement property that has been destroyed”.
While answering questions from journalists, he said “we are innocent of all the allegations by the military. COAS is our servant; he has no right to order the killing of our followers.”
Zakariya, whose speech was punctuated by “Allahu Akbar”, said his followers numbering millions all over the country were not ready for any violence.
He queried why the Nigerian Army “becomes the prosecutor, the jury and the executioner “adding that the composition of the panel set up was faulty.”
He was of the view that the likes of Mr. Femi Falana, SAN, Prof. Ishaq Akintola of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) and other human rights group should have been included in the panel set up by the Kaduna State government, to attract any credibility.
He lamented that previous governments have been unfair to the Movement for long, alleging “when Jonathan’s government exhausted all options that will postpone election in 2015, it killed three Zakzaky’s children in order to destabilize the country”.
He said many top politicians in the country had in the past visited and commended Mallam El-Zakzaky for his peaceful conduct.
Stephen Lawan