AhlulBayt News Agency

source : Nigeria Islamic Movement
Wednesday

14 September 2016

7:49:47 AM
778955

Why IMN launched #BringBackOurZariaGirls campaign?

Women are frail and vulnerable, so they are at more risk when exposed to danger. We cannot remain silent while our sisters, about 50 of them, are under the custody of the brutal Nigerian army that killed, raped, beaten, tied, unclothed and humiliated women during the massacre.

(AhlulBayt News Agency) - Since after the disastrous incident of the Zaria massacre, perpetrated by men of the Nigerian Army, from 12th to 14th December 2015, the Islamic movement in Nigeria released almost 1,000 names of its missing members. Later, some 191 members were found in the Kaduna prison, the movement was able to gather and published a provisional list of 785 persons both men and women that are still missing, and yet, the list is growing. Calls were made to human rights organisations and activists to ask the Nigerian army the whereabouts of those missing members.

Parents of the missing girls of #ZariaMassacre disclosed that they received various phone calls from their daughters after the massacre, informing them that the army captured and packed them in a van after sustaining gunshots and series of molestation. This means they were abducted by the men of the Nigerian army; that is the last contact the parents had with their daughters whom were abducted alive by the army. Even in footage of the massacre, one cannot find many corpses of women, which is also another clue proving that the abducted girls were taken alive.

Surprisingly, on 19th January 2016, when the mastermind of the massacre, COAS Buratai appeared before the National Human Rights Commission in Abuja, he shamelessly maintained that only 7 people were killed during the clampdown, a claim even a mad man cannot accept. This fabrication made by the COAS raised so many questions on the whereabouts of the remaining missing members. During the sessions of the Kaduna state judicial committee, the state government confessed creating a mass grave for 347 members at Mando, Kaduna. With all these, we can conclude that about 500 members are not confirmed dead, if so, then it means they are still with the army in detention. Reliable sources also confirmed that the army are with our sisters and brothers in various detention facilities and the movement has been raising this issue so many times.

Women are frail and vulnerable, so they are at more risk when exposed to danger. We cannot remain silent while our sisters, about 50 of them, are under the custody of the brutal Nigerian army that killed, raped, beaten, tied, unclothed and humiliated women during the massacre. One cannot imagine the degree of danger they are exposed to right away. Seeing how the authorities are denying Sheikh Zakzaky and his Wife proper medical care, one can't help but worry that the girls might not be receiving treatment for some of the gun shots and several injuries they sustained. Issues concerning women should not be ignored because oppression on women signifies a society that lacks respect for humanity.

This is why we decided to launch the #BringbackourZariagirls campaign and also call on people of conscience and human right activists to join us in this struggle for humanity. The Nigerian army must explain to the world on the whereabouts of our #Zariagirls, and they must release them to their families immediately. For their abduction is illegal and a crime against citizens of Nigeria.


Signed:
Batula Mu’azu,
Coordinator of #BringBackOurZariaGirls Campaign




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