(AhlulBayt News Agency) - Of recent President Muhammadu Buhari was reported in the media to have said that, “We’ll no longer tolerate perversion of justice.” Nice words if the government will abide by the pledge to all irrespective of their social and religious orientation. However the Islamic Movement in Nigeria has some reservations on this assertion by Mister President if the current injustice meted to our leader, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky since December, 2015 and his followers is taken into account.
First of all on the night of 12 December, 2015, the soldiers that marched to our leader’s house on the orders of the then Major General Oyebade did not come with the intent of arresting him. They came with a murderous intent and that was what they did on reaching the street leading to his house, where they started shooting indiscriminately at people within the vicinity of the place. Sheikh Zakzaky has never resisted arrest as typified by his arrest during the military dictatorship of Gen. Abacha.
After a two day shooting spree, 1000+ members of the Islamic Movement were gunned down by the soldiers, including three beloved sons of Sheikh Zakzaky, many children and women. The Sheikh himself and his wife were shot several times, leaving them in the pool of their blood. He was dragged over the dead bodies of his children and followers into detention.
The Sheikh’s residence was torched and razed to ground by the marauding army. The Islamic centre established by him was similarly destroyed and now confiscated by Elrufai’s government. This is not to mention the destruction of the cemetery where we bury our martyrs in the outskirts of Zaria and Fudiyya Islamic centre.
Upon all these atrocities, the Sheikh and his followers resorted to legal battle to win back their rights denied to them ostensibly for no reason. Sheikh Zakzaky won a landmark judgement in his favor from an Abuja High Court. His fundamental human rights were restored to him and the court declared him free. However the federal government contemptuously ignored the courts orders delivered one and half years ago.
Now after the Saudi government has indicated that it sponsored the Zaria genocide, which is under investigation by the international criminal court of justice at Hague, Kaduna state government came up with some mischievous charges against Sheikh Zakzaky, his wife and two others. If at all the government respect the judiciary, it should have demonstrated that by first obeying the court orders freeing Sheikh Zakzaky. Hence Mister President if the brutal clampdown on Sheikh Zakzaky and the Islamic Movement is not a perversion of justice, what is it? It is clear to all and sundry that Sheikh Zakzaky is a victim of injustice by this government, and it is not late for it to redeem its image and set him free.
However we firmly believe Allah will once again expose this government’s cluelessness and ineptitude in governance by handing victory to Sheikh Zakzaky in the court because the case which comes up on Thursday 21/06/18 is enmeshed in many flaws. Apart from the fact that Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife were not at the scene of the alleged fictitious murder of one Soldier during the military onslaught, the two other accused, namely Sheikh Yaqoub Yahya Katsina and Sheikh Sunusi Abdulqadir were not even in Zaria throughout the two days Zaria massacre. While the former was in Katsina, the latter was in far-away Sudan on studies.
We hereby reiterate our demand that Sheikh Zakzaky, his wife, hundreds of others in detention over the Zaria massacre should be set free unconditionally in the interest of peace and national cohesion so much desired by this country.
SIGNED BY
SHEIKH ABDULHAMID BELLO ZARIA
19/06/18
/129
source : Islamic Movement
Wednesday
20 June 2018
8:16:13 AM
898339
Of recent President Muhammadu Buhari was reported in the media to have said that, “We’ll no longer tolerate perversion of justice.” Nice words if the government will abide by the pledge to all irrespective of their social and religious orientation.