Even with all its lapses, government may do well to implement the report
The Kaduna State Government last week released the full report of the
Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up to unravel the immediate and remote
causes of the December 12-14, 2015 violent clash between soldiers and
members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), in Zaria.
We commend Governor Nasir el-Rufai for the transparent manner in which
his government has handled the crisis and for releasing the report without
delay.
The report has confirmed that indeed no fewer than 348 IMN members, also
known as Shi’ites, were killed and scores of others injured when soldiers,
drawn from the Nigerian Army Depot in Zaria, Kaduna State, unleashed their
might on the sect for allegedly attempting to “assassinate” the Chief of Army
Staff, Lt.-General Tukur Buratai, who was in the town on official
engagements.
What is now left is for the federal government to take action, especially since
the report blamed it for allowing the army to use excessive force and for not
complying with the rules of engagement during the clash.
Instructively, the report also blamed the leader of IMN, Sheik Ibraheem El-
Zakzaky, who is presently in “protective custody”, for not having absolute
control over his members and for not calling them to order when required to
do so.
In a recent editorial, we raised several questions begging for answers on this
tragic incident: Who exactly were these people whose corpses were brought
from the army barracks and how did they die, especially in such large
numbers? Were the identities of the dead bodies ascertained before they were
given a mass burial in a single grave? If they were buried on December 15,
2015 as revealed by the Kaduna State officials, and the clash between the
Shiites and the army occurred between December 12 and 14, at what point
did these people die?
Now that the report of the commission is out, it is evident that there is a
gaping hole because answers for many of these questions are still lacking,
especially since the Shiites had no voice in the report, having insisted that
they would not testify unless granted access to their boss who remains in
protective custody. Besides, given the international interest in the matter, we
do not believe that the federal government handled the issue very well.
We recall that when in January, Governor el-Rufai announced the
composition of the commission of inquiry, made up of respectable people in the
society, there was a heated argument as to whether their assignment could be
successfully completed if the central figure in the crisis was in the protective
custody of Department of Security Service (DSS) without the benefit of
interaction with some of his followers who were being invited to give testimony.
We also argued that national security, which the DSS pleaded for not
allowing members of the group have access to El-Zakzaky, was a weak reason
for denying the Shiite leader his fundamental rights to fair treatment. That
excuse became even more untenable in the light of a haunting photograph
published in an online media outlet at the time indicating that the cleric was
not in the best of health.
While many fine points of the bloody incident are still vague, the Kaduna
judicial report is nonetheless useful. But we believe that the demand of the
Shiites and El-Zakzaky’s family that he and his wife be availed the best
medical care, even if that would necessitate them travelling outside the
country, is not unreasonable in the circumstance.

Lalasticlala mynd44 we need you here

RIP to them all.

those who are against my people are against Me.

your enemy will be My enemy, and your battle will be My battle. you don't need to fight for your God. leave your worries to Me says the Lord God.

Was this really written by El Rufai?

CC: Seun

Joel3:
those who are against my people are against Me.

your enemy will be My enemy, and your battle will be My battle. you don't need to fight for your God. leave your worries to Me says the Lord God.

meaning