Ahlul Bayt News Agency - Contrary to the widespread report that the of the leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, also known as Shi'ite group, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzakky, and his wife and son may have been killed in the Zaria carnage by Army, the Nigeria Army yesterday confirmed that the leader of the movement, his wife and some other members are in its custody and in a protective environment.
General Officer Commanding (GOC), 1 Division headquarters, Kaduna, Major General Adeniyi Oyebade, who disclosed this while addressing a press conference on the update of their operations, also said that in the course of time, the leader of the movement would address his members.
He said: "Security forces have nothing against the leader of the movement or its members, but the army, as part of its constitutional responsibility, will under no guise tolerate any breakdown of law and order," he claimed.
"I want to confirm to you that the leader of the movement, his wife and some members are in our protective custody and will address his members with time. "We tried our best not to attack the Shi'ite members but for protective measures, in the course of our operations, the members of the movement and some soldiers lost their lives."
According to the reports from a military hospital in Kaduna state, Sheikh Zakzaky is under treatment in the hospital for his hand wounds. According to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, Nigerian army shot Sheikh Zakzaky four times, but now there is no concern about his health.
General Oyebade, who addressed the press in company of the state commissioner of police, Umar Shehu, confirmed that there were casualties on both sides - the army and the movement, but he declined to mention the figures.
However, the movement, in its statement which was issued and signed by the president of the Shia's media forum, Ibrahim Musa, said that 1,000 of their members were killed in the operation that lasted several hours.
The statement also said that "the army is presently dressing corpses of members of the movement with military attire and snapping still pictures to probably display them as soldiers killed by the movement."
General Oyebade confirmed that normalcy had returned to Zaria city and that people were already going about their normal businesses.
He urged members of the movement to embrace peace and be law abiding.
He also confirmed that the residence and shrine of the movement had been demolished in the course of the military operation.
On his part, the police commissioner claimed without any evidence that the movement did not have respect for any constituted authority; hence it did not secure any permission before embarking on their processions during which they normally blocked the highways, which the Islamic Movement strongly denied it.
Army, Shi'ite Clash: I Escaped Death Narrowly - Buratai
The chief of army staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai, yesterday narrated his ordeal during a confrontation with members of the Shi'ite Muslims, claiming he escaped assassination by the whisker. The army chief also faulted the claim that members of the Shi'ite group were not armed, saying that heavily armed members of the group approached his convoy violently.
Buratai, who gave his own side of the story while addressing journalists at the National Assembly complex after attending an interactive meeting convened by the Senate Committee on Defence for service chiefs, claimed it was by divine intervention that he escaped being assassinated by the Shi'ite group last Saturday.
"You want to know how I escaped? It was by the will of God that I was able to escape from the place. I think NTA was there and they aired the clip; it was very clear. They were violent and the clip is there", the army chief ridiculouslyclaimed , even as he insisted that the group was heavily armed!!!.
According to locals, the Chief of Army staff, Y. Burutai is a great liar and a great coward, that killed dozens of children arming themselves with stones and feeble, his shameless claim that the Shi'as blockage of road has to stop, that's why he commanded his men to plunder, kill and arrest members of the movement without any legal justification, it is a big shame on this government and the Nigerian Army.
The merciless killings, arson, and plunder carried out by Nigerian Army on members of Islamic movement in Nigeria and subsequent arrest of the leader of the movement Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky,is beyond blocking of road, The Nigerian Army lied to the world, but the reality of the killings goes back to Sheikh Zakzaky's stand against Injustice and Oppression of any type.
The killing is long premeditated and masterminded by Zionist, previous regimes have all tried in vain to tackle the movement, if it could be remembered in 2014 three of Sheikh Zakzaky's sons and thirty others were killed in cold blood,almost two years after no any action was taking which means the killing is deliberate, Sheikh Zakzaky's stand against Boko Haram and it's root in western agenda which is being perpetrated by Nigerian Army is enough a reason to make the Sheikh and his movement enemy of Zionist and their international and local stooge.
In the just concluded Arbaeen program Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky have well exposed the Nigerian Army of been responsible of the so-called Boko Haram insurgency by the command of their Zionist masters.
172 corpses deposited at ABUTH
Meanwhile, a source at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Shika, Zaria, confirmed to LEADERSHIP yesterday that "172 corpses have been deposited at ABU Teaching Hospital today (yesterday) morning, and more are being brought in."
When contacted, the chief medical director of the ABUTH, Professor Lawal Khalid, confirmed that there were many dead civilian bodies brought to the hospital's mortuary.
However, the Shi'ite spokesman says that the number of casualties arising from the clash with the army had risen to about 1,000.
President of media forum of the Islamic Movement, Mallam Ibrahim Musa, in a statement said that 1,000 members of the Movement had been confirmed dead at the moment "as counting continues, as soldiers evacuated some dead bodies to unknown destination."
... Shiite Confirms Zakzaky Arrest
The group also confirmed the arrest of its leader, Ibraheem Zakzaky, yesterday morning by the Army. He was said to be critically wounded.
"We can confirm that the Army has taken the revered leader of the Movement, Sayyid Ibraheem Zakzaky from his house this morning (yesterday).
FG Responsible For Safety Of El-Zakzaky - Iran
The Iranian government has said that Nigerian government is responsible for the safety of prominent Shi'ite leader, Sheikh Ibrahim al-Zakzaky.
Iran's deputy head of Supreme Leader's Office for International Affairs, Hojjatoleslam Mohsen Qomi, made the remarks while touring the Islamic Republic News Agency in Tehran, Iran.
"Regretfully, in recent days we see a suspicious episode is taking place in Nigeria and the Israeli regime is likely to be clandestinely involved," he said.
Meanwhile, the country's foreign ministry has summoned Nigerian charge d'affaires to protest the invasion of a Shi'ite site in Zaria by the army which left many sect members dead and wounded.
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