Army Vs Shiite: House of Reps grill Chief of Army staff

His allegations come as the guardian of Nigeria’s Muslims, Sultan Muhammad Saad Abubakar of Sokoto, warned the government against actions that could radicalise other Muslims in a country that already has lost 20,000 lives to the Boko Haram uprising.

A recent clash had occurred between the convoy of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Yusuf Buratai, and followers of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria who were said to have condoned off the highway during their annual procession.

He said the panel had made attempts to meet with leaders of the Shiite sect but to no avail as the panel could not trace any of them, saying the panel even sent a delegation of members to Zaria for that goal but in vain.

HRW said Nigeria’s army version of events “does not stack up” and called for an independent judicial investigation into what happened.

The Shiite group’s leader, Iran-influenced Ibraheem Zakzaky who dresses like an ayatollah, suffered four bullet wounds, according to the family doctor, and is among scores detained.

A statement quoting Daniel Bekele Africa director at Human Rights Watch said: “the killing of hundreds of Shia Muslim members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), by Nigerian army soldiers from December 12 to 14, 2015, appears to have been wholly unjustified”. The attack on Zakzaky’s residence and the violence during the road incident led to the deaths of hundreds of members of the religious community, including three of Zakzaky’s sons.

Different figures have trailed the December 12 clash, with the Shiites claiming that at least 500 of its members were killed.

He also said the Abuja government troops destroyed a school and a shrine belonging to the movement on Monday.

“IMC advises the Sunni Muslims in Nigeria to live at peace with theirShiite brothers and not emulate the schisms and dissension which hadpolarized the Middle East, turning it into a constant war zone”.

Boko Haram re-emerged as a much more violent entity after security forces attacked their mosque and compound and killed some 700 people in 2009.