BOOK REVIEW:
DECEMBER 2015 MASSACRE OF SHIITES IN NIGERIA: SURVIVORS’ ACCOUNTS

By Prof. Mshelgaru Isah

I will review this book titled: “December 2015 Massacre of Shiites in Nigeria: Survivors’ Accounts” authored by Ibrahim Musa. I have given it a critical reading, evaluating and analyzing the book in its entirety and I am going to make observatory assessment of its quality, meaning and significance with the sole aim to provide guide for potential readers.

On the book: It is standard size, paperback soft cover book. It contains a compilation of different accounts of those who were not only eyewitnesses but survivors of the massacre.

Author’s credibility and qualifications: He is an experienced chief editor of Almizan newspaper, authoritative, and president of media forum of the Islamic Movement.

Readers’ expectations on the title: “(i) December 2015 (v) Massacre of (ii) Shiites in Nigeria: (iii) Survivors’ Accounts.” I think the word ‘massacre’ needs some definition. Massacre is the killing of 4 or more people in a single event – FBI.

To understand the 2015 Zaria incident, let us look at the word massacre. Massacre is an act of killing a lot of helpless or unresisting human beings under circumstances of atrocity-extreme wickedness or cruelty or wanton – deliberate and unprovoked.

What was at stake? Reasons for the massacre: political, rebellion, ethnic racial or, tribal cleansing, denomination or sectarian cleansing, extreme wickedness, ideological cleansing, threat to power, hegemony or imperial ambitions.
Is the December 2015 killing a massacre?

What sort of massacre was the December 2015 massacre? Comparisons of the Zaria massacre, by comparison: Examples: Odi, Zaki-Biam, lekkitollgate, Sabra and Shatila, Waco, Srebrenica, red mosques, Karbala massacre.

Characteristics that define massacre are: Covert operations, false flag operations frame up blame the victim, destroy more to hide evidences, demolitions, leads more killing of suspected witnesses, mass graves, false narration.

Perpetrator of massacre: The usual perpetrator is a powerful individual group or a government or both who have the above mentioned ambitions. Hence need for investigating massacres.

Therefore, the AIM of the book: proven on page 2: To unveil the facts and the realities of what happened in the December 2015 massacre for the public and put the record straight, clear false narrative created by government propaganda, and create legal evidence for the victims.

Contents of the book:
(i) Zaria massacre in brief
(ii) Only Allah can deliver me by sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky
(iii) How a soldier shot me by Hajiya Rabi’atu Abdullahi
(iv) Soldiers stripped us of our Hijab by Rabi’atu Muhammad
(v) They handcuffed me from behind and tore my cloth by Sukaina Yahaya
(vi) Though I escaped alive, I lost my daughter by Fatima Yahaya Magume
(vii) Soldiers douse us with petrol and set us fire by Muhammad Altine
(viii) I saw Sheikh Zakzaky being taken away by soldiers by Danladi Yakubu
(ix) How I survived the brutal Army attack in Gyallesu by Nasiru Abdulmalik
(x) I thought I will not make it alive by Yusuf Abubakar
(xi) I witnessed the army’s attack on Hussainiyya by Yakubu Idris Katsina
(xii) The killings at Sheikh Zakzaky’s residence by Nazifi Alfaskawy
(xiii) Girl, five, killed by a soldier by Aliyu Muhammad Gummi
(xiv) I offered first aid amidst rain of bullets by Muhammad Sani Bako
(xv) How the military arrested me at Hussainiyya by Hawwa’u Salisu
(xvi) How soldiers shot me on my shoulder by Fatima Halilu
(xvii) Three military trucks evacuated corpse at Sheikh Zakzaky’s house by Musa Muhammad Waki’a
(xviii) I survived four days with gunshot wounds without food by Aliyu Ya’u
(xix) Military commander shouted ‘set them on fire!’ by Usman Hafiz
(xx) How soldiers abused us in Zaria by Rumasa’u Usman Goronyo
(xxi) Soldiers told us to surrender and still killed many at Hussainiyya by Jamilu Musa Usman
(xxii) Soldiers shot and set us on fire by Bilkisu Kabara Malumfashi
(xxiii) Like Karbala, like Zaria by Musa Muhammad
(xxiv) I watched as soldiers gunned down my five nieces by Abdullahi Muhammad
(xxv) Soldiers shot Sheikh Zakzaky’s Elder sister and burnt her alive by Nuriyya M. Abdullahi
(xxvi) Confession of crime against humanity by Kaduna State Government
(xxvii) Nigeria: Families of hundreds of shi’a Muslims killed in Zaria still await justice by Amnesty International

Analysis of the book proves:
(i) Occurrence of the incident
(ii) Incident was a massacre (both in terms of number killed and number of events). Yes, proven
(iii) Shiites were helpless. Yes, proven
(iv) Involvements of the principal actors, (Federal and State Governments, Military Organizations and Individuals) in the atrocity, and (not sufficient)
(v) Comparison to known massacre: Karbala massacre, WOC massacre.
(vi) Need to insert relevant photos to some of the accounts

The author used multiple witnesses to stress points, and the witnesses’ responses were well focused and guided.

On the quality of writing style, readability, persuasions, expressions, accuracy, decency, social intelligence, emotions are all commendable.

17. Witnesses NOT properly qualified or described: The book should have included ages, professions, functions, and literacy levels of the interviewees at the time of the incident.
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Opinions: It will impact on the understanding of scholars, researchers, civil society organizations, human right organizations, legal institutions, historians, massacre victims and students. It will also dispute government claims and expose their devilish attitudes.

In discussing what I particularly liked about the book, I will say it nullifies govts’ false narratives with the use of:
(i) Close eyewitness,
(ii) Victim eyewitness and
(iii) Direct experience eyewitness to prove claims.
This gives resemblance of real-world event of what happened between 11 to 13th December 2015. The author succeeded in convincing me with the first hand evidence he provided. This book is one that I enjoy greatly and it has all the components of what makes a book very good for me.

Using star-rate on book readability formula (Lexile measure, star rating and ATOS levels), I rate 41/2 on a 5-star ranking and I would therefore recommend this book to wider audience of book readers. I’m happy that the book has been published on Amazon platform on the internet. A simple search of the book title on Amazon website will take any potential reader to the page of the book.