Ahlul Bayt News Agency - The House of Representatives committee on National Security and Intelligence of Nigeria has ordered the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, to investigate the Army's attack on Islamic Movement members and arresting of Sheikh Zakzaky and provide the House with a report to that effect in three weeks.
At least 200 and by some accounts as many as 1000 Shia Muslims were massacred by the Nigerian army under command of Chief of Army Staff Lt. General Buratai on December 12th to 13th.
This was the outcome of the close-door meeting between the lawmakers and the army boss on Tuesday, December 22, in Abuja.
While fielding questions from journalists, chairman of the committee, Aminu Jaji, said the report would assist the green chambers to have a clear understanding of what happened between his men and members of the Islamic Movement.
Jaji noted that the panel had earlier met with the Director-General, Department of State Security (DSS), Lawal Daura, a week ago adding that the lawmakers would meet with the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase.
He stated that the panel’s effort to reach the sect has been unsuccessful maintaining that it had earlier sent delegations to Zaria but they could not get to the sects’ leader.
However, Jaji said the house would strategies on ways to meet the with the leader of the Islamic Movement, Sheikh Zakzaky' so as to get the a balanced report of the sad event.
He added that the lawmakers’ meeting with Buratai would continue as yesterday’s parley was the first in a series of the meetings to come.
Turkur Buratai has come under severe attack following the Zaria bloodbath.
The Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) in reaction to the killings has advised Buratai to resign. Meanwhile, the Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, had specifically asked the committee to unearth the cause of the clash with a view to finding lasting solutions. He instructed the committee to do a through job, considering the sensitive situation in the country at the moment.
Earlier on, Nigerian authorities completely destroyed the Husainiya Baqiyyatullah building (Shia Religious Center), Sheikh Zakzaky's residence, Fudiyyah Islamic center, Darur-Rahmah; the site where Sheikh Zakzaky's 3 sons and several others were buried, and yesterday Hajia Hari Jamo (the mother of sheikh Zakzaky)'s house which is her own belonging and the place where her dead body is resting.
The massacre of Muslims may have occurred in Zaria in Nigeria but it aroused the concern of people from all walks of life worldwide. Rallies protesting the horrific massacre have been held in London (UK), Washington DC and New York (US) and Toronto (Canada). There have also been protest rallies in Iran, Pakistan, India, Norway, Sweden, Thailand and a host of other countries. In each locale, there were calls for the arrest and trial of the Nigerian army chief Tukur Buratai.
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