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AGF
Abubakar Malami (SAN)
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Barely a month after a
violent clash between soldiers in the convoy of the Chief of Army Staff,
Major-General T. Y. Buratai, and members of the Shi'ite Islamic Movement of
Nigeria, IMN, the Federal Government has opted to probe the incident, which has
heightened tension in the religious circles.
Vanguard report continues:
This
is just as Vanguard authoritatively gathered that the leader of the sect, Sheik
El-Zakzakky, may have been moved to Abuja for further medical attention even as
the sect claimed that 700 of its members were still being detained by the army
The
Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar
Malami, who gave the indication of the investigation while receiving a 10-man
delegation from the President, Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs and
Sultan of Sokoto, said the unfortunate incident was avoidable.
This
was contained in a statement made available to Vanguard by Mr. Salihu Othman
Isah, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Attorney General and
Minister of Justice.
Malami
said it was not clear yet whether the probe would be instituted by the Federal
Government or the Kaduna State Government but said the investigation was
necessary to prevent a future recurrence.
Educate
your followers on good conduct
He
further said that though he would not engage in blame games, it was necessary
for clerics to educate their followers on good conduct and how to co-exist with
their neighbours, especially the teachings on the right of way which the Muslim
Ummah are compelled to respect.
According
to him, “as Muslims, we know what is obtainable in Islam, especially in the
area of individuals rights, especially rights of way. As Muslims, we have a
collective responsibility to create awareness through our preaching on
tolerance and compliance according to the dictates of Islam.”
Sultan’s delegation
pleads for release of El-Zakzaky
The
leader of the delegation, Professor Daud Noibi, chairman of the NSCIA Contact
Committee, had earlier pleaded with the Federal Government for the release of
Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, the leader of the Shi'ites and his followers who were injured for
adequate medical treatment while the bodies of the dead should be released for
burial.
Noibi
said: “We want to request that those injured in the clash should be given
adequate medical attention, while those who are dead should be released to
their families for proper burials,”
In
his response, the AGF said: “I will do whatever I can within the confines of
the law to see how an amicable resolution can be achieved. So, when your demand
is formalised, I will treat and facilitate it to the appropriate quarters
accordingly.”
Other
members of the delegation included the National Secretary of the Council,
Professor Ishaq Oloyede; Malam Yunus Ustaz (SAN), Professor Dahiru Yahaya,
Mallam Musemil Hanga, Professor Ibrahim Suleiman, Alhaji Ibrahim Jega, Malam
Ishaq K. Sanni, Imam A.R. Ahmad, Mr. Abubakar Tsav (retd), a former
Commissioner of Police, Lagos State and Mallam Yusuf Ali (SAN).
El-Zakzaky moved to Abuja
Meanwhile,
according to a highly placed official of the Shi'ite sect, who spoke with Vanguard, yesterday
evening, the sect leader was moved to Abuja to treat injuries he sustained
during the encounter between the army and members of the sect in Zaria on December
13, 2015.
The
official, who does not want to be named because of fear of being targeted by
security forces, said he gathered from “highly placed, credible sources” in the
security services that the Sheikh is alive after battling with multiple gunshot
injuries.
“I
have been told by highly placed, credible multiple sources in the security
services that the sheikh is alive and has been moved to Abuja. I was told
that the security services had to battle to save his life because of the
multiple gun shots inflicted on him. I do not have any reason to doubt my
sources” the source, who is a highly placed government official, told Vanguard.
He
explained that but for the intervention of Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna
State, the sheikh would have been killed alongside with many of his followers
during the encounter with the military.
According
to the source, “We were told that el-Rufai had to intervene by calling on
higher military authorities for the life of the Sheikh to be spared. He knows
the implication of killing the Sheikh bearing in mind what happened to Boko
Haram.
“After
killing the second and third in command of the Shi'ites sect, it would have
been disastrous if the Sheikh was killed too. El-Rufai’s intervention was very
important because the reaction of his followers would have been out of
control.”
A
senior official of the Department of State Services, DSS, who spoke with Vanguard
confirmed that “the Sheikh has been moved out of Kaduna State but I can’t
confirm definitely that he is in Abuja. What I know is that he is no longer in
Kaduna State.”
700 of our members still
being detained by army — Shi'ite
Also,
the sect said, yesterday, that 700 of its members were still being detained by
the Nigerian Army.
The
spokesman of the movement, Ibrahim Musa, in a statement he signed in Kaduna
said contrary to the claim of the Nigerian Army the detained sect members
were yet to be handed to the police.
The
sect in the statement said: “General Officer Commanding, GOC,1 Mechanized
Division, Major General Adeniyi Oyebade stated unequivocally in his
address announcing the arrest of the revered leader of the movement, Sheikh
Ibraheem Zakzaky that the members of the movement were not armed but were
carrying sticks, machetes and catapults.
“We
also categorically refute in strong terms the claims of the GOC that none of
our members is currently with the military. We have a list of about 700 of our
members that are currently missing, some of who are in detention with the Army
at Basawa Barracks, Nigerian Army Depot in Zaria, Jaji Cantonment and 1
Mechanized Division in Kaduna.
“We
challenge the GOC to come up with a single occasion when the Islamic Movement
in Nigeria under the leadership of his Eminence Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky ever
threatened the peace and stability of Nigeria or engaged in any form of
violence throughout its 38 years of existence.”
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