AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Injustice kills a nation piecemeal, no matter the avowal of its purported strength by its rulers. It makes a nation look like a shadow of itself, losing grounds against what is more of a frankenstein's monster than ordinary crooks whose outlawries had made folk heroes. No nation can survive the consequences of its injustices. A nation whose injustice encroachment leads its powers that are to monger rumours merely dances on the edge of a precipice.
Rumour had it on the 24th of October, 2020 that Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky was either in a state of critical illness or a state worse than ever before. But a visit by his only surviving son, Mohammed, revealed that although the Sheikh and his wife are suffering from many life-threatening health challenges as a result of multiple injuries in their bodies, the couple are yet alive. After all, proper medical attention is what they need in earnest, not virulent rumour-mongering which is bad and unacceptable, particularly when spread by those in authority.
Though veracity of the rumour proved totally unfounded, it must have been peddled by evil and violence merchants for a malicious and mischievous purpose, for there is no smoke without fire. In this country of ours, those in power corridors have been found wanting time and again. They can even stretch or flout laws of the land to achieve something that leaves a lot to be desired. The current health condition of Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife is seriously causing distress and worry. It is worth public attention as it continues to deteriorate. In defiance of court orders, they continue to hold the couple without the required medical or surgical treatment.
On 24th February, 2020, Kaduna High Court affirmed that the couple were unfit to stand trial. So an order was given by Justice Gideon KURADA, directing the officials of the central prison in Kaduna to grant them access to their doctors, but all to little or no avail. In disregard for laws and conventions, the Buhari regime ignores the Federal High Court judgement delivered by Justice Gabriel Kolawole on 2nd December, 2016 to release the couple.
Sheikh Zakzaky is being affected by progressive glaucoma, cervical spondylosis and up to 55 bullet fragments with excessive lead and cadmium poisoning in his body. He has been suffering from sleep disorder, recurrent spiking hypertension, recurrent episodes of strokes, and just few months ago, his cardiac ischaemia and ventricular hypertrophy were found to deteriorate, he is now even requiring cardiac catherisation, thereby making him far more unfit to stand trial.
We are not only concerned about the deteriorating health condition of the couple but also the source of the rumour and what its fabricators had planned to achieve. It must be made very clear that it has raised concern over the safety of Sheikh Zakzaky. It even seems to be premeditated to either cause unrest or exploit the current situation in the country. Yes, this is nothing but a wilful attempt to disturb the remnant of peace that still keeps the country together through their sowing the seed of confusion and chaos.
Another issue of concern is the 24-hour curfew imposed in Kaduna State due to some people's looting of palliative foodstuffs in both Chikun and Kaduna South Local Government Areas [LGAs]. Instead of the state government to provide adequate security that will protect lives and property in the affected LGAs, a curfew has been imposed on the whole state, adding salt to the injuries of hardship to the people of Kaduna State. We fear the curfew may have been imposed to aid fabricators of the rumour to achieve their sinister motives. Considering these developments, we wish to make it clear that General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) along with his stooges will be held responsible for whatever happens to our leader Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky.
We condemn the continouos detention of Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky and his wife, Malama Zeenah, despite their health condition and several court orders against it. We will continue to protest, demanding their immediate and unconditional release.
Abdullahi Musa
For the Academic Forum of the Islamic movement
27th October, 2020
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