Shiites Give Clause For Honoring Tribunal Invitation

The Islamic movement in Nigeria (IMN), has given conditions to appear before the commission set up by Kaduna state government to look into the clash between the Nigerian Army and adherents of the Shiite Islamic movement in Zaria in 2015.

Nigeria’s Chief Of Army Staff was allegedly attacked by the Shiite sect in Zaria.

Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna state had earlier announced the members of a Judicial Commission of inquiry tasked with investigating the December 12, 2015 clash between the Shiites and the army in Zaria.

While noting that the Movement believes in the justness of its cause and the fact that the events that led to the setting up of the Judicial Commission were premeditated, they said they will only appear before the commission if its leader is released unconditionally.

In addition to the clause of their appearance, the sect also asked that the Nigerian Military and the Nigerian police make full disclosure of the number of persons in their various detention centers and those they took to the various hospitals and the location of the hospitals to enable their lawyers have access to them.

The Vanguard reports that a statement spelling out the conditions signed by the president, media forum of the Islamic movement, Ibrahim Musa.

Musa said while the IMN, has called for the setting up of an impartial and independent judicial commission of inquiry made up of independent persons and members of the international human rights community to unravel the circumstances that led to the pogrom in Zaria and its environs, it believes that “the events of December 12, 2015 which led to the massacre of its members, the maiming of hundreds, the detention of its cadres and destruction of its properties are premeditated.”

The movement added that the federal and state governments are in face saving mode regarding the gross human rights violations that it deliberately perpetrated.

“The Movement will appear before the Judicial Commission of Inquiry only on the following conditions: That the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria should be released unconditionally. The Nigerian government is holding the leader of the Movement incommunicado knowing that he is the custodian of the documents of the Movement and has to give direction to the Movement in the preparation of its memorandum and the assembling of its witnesses.

“The Nigerian Military and the Nigerian police must make a full disclosure of the number of persons in their various detention centers and grant lawyers of the Movement access to most of them. This is because the Movement has credible evidence that a large number of its members are still in detention in military facilities and detention centers,” the statement read in parts.