At least 60 people were killed this weekend when the Nigerian army raided a Shi’ite sect and arrested its leader in the northern city of Zaria, the director of a local hospital said on Monday.
The army said the Islamic Movement was trying to assassinate the chief of army staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, when members of the sect blocked his convoy in Zaria on Saturday.
The sect was conducting an annual ritual to usher in the month of Maulud, the birth month of the Prophet Mohammed.
On Sunday, the army raided several buildings connected to the sect and the home of its leader, Ibrahim Zakzaky. They arrested him and killed key members of the group, including Zakzaky’s second-in-command and spokesman.
“As of yesterday, we had 60 corpses in our morgue,” Khalid Lawal, the chief medical director of Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, told Reuters by phone.
Residents said they heard loud blasts during the raid. A Reuters reporter was barred entry to the cordoned-off area.
Most of Nigeria’s tens of millions of Muslims are Sunni, including the Boko Haram jihadist militants that have killed thousands in bombings and shootings, mainly in northeastern Nigeria, since 2009.
But there are also several thousand Shi’ites, mostly followers of Zakzaky, whose movement was inspired by the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Shi’ite Iran.
Iran condemned the attack on Monday and summoned Nigeria’s representative there, according to its state news agency. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called on the Nigerian government to take “prompt and serious” action.
The Shi’ite sect claimed that hundreds of their members were killed. The army took most of the bodies away, making it impossible to verify the claim.
A similar altercation between the sect and the army occurred last year during a procession.
Zakzaky said that 30 followers and three of his children were killed.
https://www.today.ng/news/national/51934/at-least-60-shiites-killed-in-zaria-clash-with-soldiers-hospital

Another terror group in the making. I hope they will not be worse than boko haram.

What is paining me most about this country is that we are not fighting for a better life. We fighting for stupid reasons.
APC vs PDP
Christians vs Moslems
North vs South
We shud be demanding for better standard of living, provision of basic amenity, security and better economy from our government. This can only be achieved with one voice.

This administration better be careful with they way and manner they handle shiites issues if not, they will have another uprising worse than boko haram.

Until I see irrefutable proof that the army unleashed mayhem on defenseless, peaceful gathering...I'm still of th opinion that the NA did what was absolutely necessary!

shites are having a peaceful protest in gombe state now against what happen on Sunday.
someone should open a thread with these.I don't know how to open a thread. am a new comer. here are d pix I snapped.

Lai muhammed pls tell us its a lie dt its just a drill by d soldiers