Nigerian military ‘kills up to 1000 Shiite Muslims’

The military said it acted after Shiites tried to assassinate Nigeria’s army chief.

In another development, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching hospital, ABUTH, Zaria, said it received 61 bodies following the deadly clash between the military and members of IMN. His assertion didn’t explain how he got the knowledge.

“Nigeria is a democratic state, the professional conduct of the apparatus of the state must be done within the ambit of the law and respect for fundamental rights of the citizenry”.

“Citizens must ask, who ordered this carnage?”

AMNESTY International has demanded an investigation into allegations that the Nigerian army killed hundreds of people during a weekend raid on a mostly Shi’ite Muslim organisation.

“Anyone responsible for unlawful killings should be brought to justice”, the Director of Amnesty International, Nigeria, M.K. Ibrahim said.

SaharaReporters published several stories this week about the Zaria massacre, and subsequent violence against civilians, on Saturday and Sunday.

Followers of the leader of the Islamic Movement, Sheik on Wednesday in Abuja called for the immediate release of their leader Ibraheem El-Zakzaky whom they said received gun shots from the attacks by soldiers of the Nigerian Army.

“The whole area was filled with gunshots and tear gas fired by the police on the Shia followers, who were carrying the portraits of Zakzaky and calling for his release”, said local resident Rukayya Rabiu.

Nigerian military on Saturday accused the Shia group of an assassination attempt on its army chief Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai in northwestern Kaduna state’s Zaria city.

In a statement Monday, the army said both the military and Shiites lost lives but a toll still is being compiled.

This happened against the backdrop of the visit of Minister of interior, Abdulrahman Danbazau-led Federal Government delegation to Zaria, Kaduna State to assess the situation.

Also, the Nigerian senate has set up a committee to investigate the incident, two days after the National Human Rights Commission set up a panel to probe the clashes that have claimed dozens of lives.

An army spokesman, Col. Sani Kukasheka Usman, said that Zakzaky and his wife and son were being held in protective custody – not killed, as rumours circulating online had reported.

Iran, seen as the guardian of the Shiite Muslim faith, condemned the killings.

Rouhani called President Muhammadu Buhari to say that “minor disputes must not be allowed to turn into deep differences” among Muslims, the reports said. The IMN’s ties to Iran have resulted in the Islamic Republic condemning the actions of the Nigerian military and summoning the nation’s ambassador.

The clash in Zaria is also a stark reminder of similar events that triggered the rapid evolution of the Boko Haram insurgency which has left thousands dead and millions more displaced.