 |
| Nigeria Shias took to the streets to protest against the military (Image credits: Ahmed Musa; Image source: BBC Africa Live) |
Nigeria's military
"quickly buried" at least 300 Shia Muslims in mass graves after
killing them in what appeared to be a "wholly unjustified"
attack in northern Zaria city, a leading human rights group has said.
BBC Africa Live report continues:
The
army said its confronted members of the Iranian-backed Islamic Movement
of Nigeria (IMN) after they had erected a makeshift roadblock near a mosque,
and attempted to assassinate army chief Gen Tukur Buratai.
"The
Nigerian military's version of events does not stack up," said Daniel
Bekele, Africa director of Human Rights Watch (HRW).
"It
is almost impossible to see how a roadblock by angry young men could justify
the killings of hundreds of people. At best it was a brutal overreaction and at
worst it was a planned attack on the minority Shia group," he added in a
statement.
 |
| IMB leader Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky is in detention (Image credits: EPA; Image source: BBC Africa Live) |
At
least 300 Shias were killed and hundreds more injured during the operation from
12 December to 14 December in Zaria, the headquarters of the sect, HRW
quoted witnesses and a hospital source as saying.
"Soldiers
quickly buried the bodies in mass graves without family members' permission,
making it difficult to determine an accurate death toll," it added.
HRW
said it hoped that the commission of inquiry appointed by the government to
investigate the killings would be impartial, and hold those responsible
accountable.
The killings sparked
outrage among Shias around the world, and Iran lodged a diplomatic protest
with Nigeria's government.
No comments:
Post a Comment