PRESS RELEASE: Cold Blooded Murder of people

In the name of Allah, the All-beneficent the All-merciful.

It is with the saddest emotion and complete trust, and patience with Allah’s trials and tribulations, that we register our dismay and sadness over the ungodly, wicked, and gruesome cold-blooded murder of 36 members of the Islamic Movement, including children and women, killed by the Nigeria Military forces on Friday 25th July 2014 during a peaceful procession to mark the International Quds day.

International Quds Day, a day set aside - the last Friday of Ramadan - by the late revolutionary leader and reformer, Ayatollah Ruhollah Al-Musavi Khomeini (May his soul rest in peace) in 1979 to show solidarity with the oppressed people of Palestine. The Islamic Movement in Nigeria under the guardianship of His Eminence Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky (H) has ever since then marked the event peacefully across the country.

Undoubtedly,the International Quds Day is marked by people with conscience across the globe, as well as by those with humanity in their hearts as a show of their solidarity to the long suffering Palestinians. The latter are not only held hostage, but are daily killed or maimed physically, psychologically, socially and economically while the World watches in silence.

This year’s Quds day, came at time when Gaza has been under Israeli shelling and bombardment leading to the killing of thousands of civilians, mostly women and children. Members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria across the country joined the International community to mark this special day as is their annual tradition. It ended peacefully, as usual, in all parts of the country except in Zaria, where the peaceful procession was brutally attacked by soldiers.This callous attack on defenseless and peaceful civilians on a procession by the Nigerian military, on Friday 25th July 2015, in Zaria is a direct assault on their fundamental human rights, since they have the right to peaceful protest and the right to peaceful assembly, as enshrined in our constitution and the various national and international protocols and agreements. This heartless attack by soldiers on innocent civilians showing solidarity with the oppressed people of Palestine, is a direct pointer to the fact that the Nigeria military is simply the hunting dogs of the illegitimate state of Israel.

The manner in which this attack was carried out also shows that, it was a premeditated plan to create Borno-styled chaos and anarchy or insurgency in Zaria, so they could then come in the name of fighting "Boko Haram". This daylight commando-style attack on innocent civilians reflects the style of the Zionist state of Israel against innocent and defenseless civilians in Gaza, and indeed in the whole of Palestine.

We are clearly convinced that the soldiers who carried out this gruesome murder of innocent civilians were acting on a premeditated and organised command from Abuja. The targeting and killing of three (3) innocent children of our revered leader, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky (H) - Ahmad , Hamid and Mahmud - and some other 33 members by soldiers reflect the general anger and frustration of the Nigerian state, acting on the instructions of the Zionist institution. This is their frustration with the rising profile and reawakening of Islamic consciousness and heritage pioneered and guided by Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky (H).

Since the past three decades, undoubtedly, when out of Allah’s mercies, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky (H) came to salvage this land of lost opportunity called Nigeria, the "International Arrogance" and "World Zionists" had sought to put off this light. Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky (H) has been a constant target of arrest, intimidation, imprisonments, coercion and assassination attempts. It was only Allah, however, who continues to protect and help him against the evil machinations of Zionists and their proxies in Nigeria. The gruesome murder of his children, whom they captured alive but killed in detention, reflects the growing frustration of these Zionists through their puppet government and agents. This cold-blooded murders on Friday 25th July 2015 raises some fundamental questions begging for answers:

For what crime were Sheikh Zakzaky’s children killed?

What is the crime of the innocent civilians on procession to warrant their murder?

Even if participating in a procession was a crime, is it punishable by killing without trial?

Why was Zaria singled out for the extra-judicial killings out of the over 22 towns the same procession took place in Nigeria?

Is it the duty of the Military to handle civil unrest or arrest or disperse civilians peacefully gathered together?

Who gave the Military the right to shoot and kill civilians without conviction in a competent law court?

If the Military feels so strong and have this much desire to kill, why have they not gone to where people are fighting them with arms?

These gruesome murders are simply an act of cowardice!

Therefore, after careful appraisals of events and the senseless and unjust killings of 25th July 2014, we have come to the following resolutions:

1. Academic Forum strongly condemns this barbaric, wicked, senseless and gruesome murder of the three children of Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky (H) and some 33 other of his followers by the Nigerian military.

2. We sincerely condole with our teacher, mentor, and spiritual leader, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky (H), and His wife, Malama Zeenah Ibraheem, over the unfortunate events on Friday 25th July 2014. No doubt; it is a sad moment for all of us and we sincerely regret our inability to be a shelter and shield to these leaders of ours in this most important moment of our lives.

3. That, the show of force and shooting practice the Nigerian military forces exhibited, is a direct reflection of the general hatred, wickedness, frustration and desperation of the military against our leader, the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, and the religion of Islam in Africa, as being revived by Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky for the last three decades. The wanton killings and target of assassinations are a direct reflection of these wickedness and depression.

4. Nigerians must now appreciate years of warnings and preaching of the Sheikh, that Nigerian security agencies are the sponsors and master-minds of all the insurgency we have been witnessing in the name of "Boko Haram".

5. The Friday 25th event has finally proven to all gullible Nigerians that the Military are responsible for all the killings of innocent civilians and destruction of properties in the country in the name of fighting insurgency.

6. The military institutions and security agencies are mere tools in the hands of their masters in the United States of America and the illegal state of Israel.

7. That the attack and the gruesome murders of children and followers of His Eminence Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky (H) were premeditated and were executed by the military with orders from Abuja.

8.That the gruesome and cold-blooded murder of His Eminence’s children and followers must be viewed as crime against humanity.

9. We call on Muslims to reflect on this Black Friday event, and to close ranks and build unity against the growing conspiracy and quest to annihilate the rise of Islam. This is the time to reflect and build solidarity and brotherhood among each other to salvage Islam from the onslaught and growing sponsored killings and destruction.

10. We are also urging Muslims, in general, and members of the Islamic Movement, in particular, to move closer to Allah (SWT) and to strengthen their relationship with Him and seek His repentance in this trying time.

In conclusion therefore, we hold the Nigerian government responsible for these gruesome murders. We demand that the government comes out to offer explanation as to what happened. An independent panel of enquiry must investigate these killings with a view to bring all those responsible to book. We demand that all our brothers and sisters still being held be released unconditionally and immediately.

Inherently, Friday 25th July 2014 no doubt has finally nailed the coffins of the myth of who the original "Boko Harams" are in Nigeria. The manner and conduct of the military and the killings on Friday 25th July 2014 will remain a sad day in the life of Muslims and non Muslims in general.

The ACADEMIC FORUM OF THE ISLAMIC MOVEMENT IN NIGERIA (AFIMN)

Signed

S.I. Ahmad

Shuaibahmad105@gmail.com

afimn14@gmail.com

30/07/2014

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