₦airaland Forum

December 23, 2015Ben Ezeamalu

https://media.premiumtimesng.com/wp-content/files/2015/12/585x390xzakzaky-27.jpg.pagespeed.ic.-O4OJobTre.jpg
Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky

A human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has called for the prosecution of the Chief of Army, Tukur Buratai, and soldiers involved in the attack on the Shi’ite movement and their leader, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, in Kaduna State.

A clash between members of the Shi’ite sect and the convoy of Mr. Buratai, on December 12 and 13 in Zaria, left at least 300 people dead, the Human Rights Watch said.

The soldiers had accused Shi’ite members of blocking the road and attempting to assassinate Mr. Buratai.

“Assuming that the Shi’ite members actually blocked the road, why was the nuisance not reported to the police? Are the authorities of the Nigerian Army above the law of the land?” Mr. Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, said in a statement Wednesday.

“The army authorities have refused to release the bodies of those who were massacred to their families for burial while the personal physicians of the injured ones and their family members have been denied access to them.”

Mr. Falana said about 300 members of the sect, without allowing them access to lawyers, had been taken to a Magistrate Court over the past two days on the basis of First Information Reports.

“The suspects were refused bail by the Magistrate who ordered that they be remanded in prison custody,” Mr. Falana said.

“The leader of the group, Sheik Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, and his wife who were also shot by the blood thirsty goons were taken away and dumped in a military custody. Up till now, their whereabouts are unknown.

“Although Sheik El-Zakzaky is reported to have been transferred from a military custody to a police station, he has been denied access to his personal physicians and lawyers.”

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that Mr. El-Zakzaky is currently in police custody receiving treatment and the police had refused to grant anyone access to him until his health improves.

Mr. Falana reminded the Army and Police Authorities that under a “repressive” military junta, the right of access to detainees was fought and won.

“Thus, in Chief Gani Fawehinmi v. General Sani Abacha (1996) 5 NWLR (PT 447) 198 at 202, the Court of Appeal ordered the Attorney-General of Federation, Inspector-General of Police and the operatives of the State Security Services to allow the wife and personal physicians of the appellant, a political detainee, to have access to him in prison custody ‘at all reasonable times.’

“In requesting the Inspector-General of Police to allow access to the detainees his attention ought to be drawn to Section 14(2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act which provides as follows:

“A person who has the custody of an arrested suspect shall give the suspect reasonable facilities for obtaining legal advice, access to communication for taking steps to furnish bail, and otherwise making arrangements for his defence or release.'”

Mr. Falana urged the police boss to allow the sect members access to their families, personal physicians, and legal practitioners “at all reasonable times.”

“Having undertaken to end impunity in the country, President Buhari should ensure that the Chief of Army Staff and all the soldiers who took part in the violent attack and arson in Zaria are brought to book without any further delay.”

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/195642-zaria-massacre-falana-wants-army-chief-buratai-others-prosecuted.html

REPORT TOO LONG TO POST. PLEASE FOLLOW THE BELOW LINK OF THE HRW WEBSITE:

https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/12/22/nigeria-army-attack-shia-unjustified

Sad

The Nigerian Senate and House of Reps have summoned Chief of Army Staff, Mr. Tukur Buratai over a clash with Shiite Muslims in Zaria which led to the death of over 60 people.

The Director General of the Department of State Services, Lawan Daura, and “heads of other security agencies,” would be summoned by a House joint Committee on Army/National Security/Intelligence and Public Safety.

Also to appear before the House are the top leaders of the Islamic Movement, “as well as other stakeholders as the House may deem fit to discuss the issue.”

“The Chief of Army Staff will have to come and testify before the committee as an important stakeholder. The committee has the mandate of the House to invite him. The DG, as well as the DSS too, is relevant to this investigation. It will involve heads of other security agencies since the committee will be looking at the security implications or otherwise of the clash. The leaders of the Islamic Movement will also have to come and state their side of the matter before the committee can reach any reasonable conclusions," a National Assembly official said.


PUNCH

http://www.nigerianbulletin.com/threads/senate-summons-coas-buratai-over-shiite-muslim-killings-in-zaria.156286/

EgunMogaji:
.

Mr. dont be foolish and blinded by whatever.

Saddam committed war crimes and crimes against humanity. he gassed his own people with chemical weapons. iraq was in a state of war, and american soldiers were soldiers of a foreign occupation force. same with the other examples you gave.

Nigeria is a democracy where freedom of worship, expression and association are enshrined in the constitution to Nigerian citizens. Nigeria, and to be precise, is not in a state of war. before you cite boko haram, this killings in zaria ought to have taken place in sambisa instead.

those examples you are citing are what makes everything about what happened in zaria wrong and condemned. nobody wants Nigeria to be in a state of war like Iraq or Nicaragua in the 80s.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ae1AJE5akc&feature=share

ElCapone:
That's y I said you don't know shiites, dats y you wld even call them peaceful, you unaware that they had all sorts of weapons with them. You are also unaware that shiites also carry out suicide bombing. An average shiite doesn't believe in obeying any authority aside its own authority, this same issue happened with notable ppl like late adobayero of Kano, even ramalan yero the then kaduna governor. See this guys are effing stubborn. Its either you with them or against them. Why they even low key is because they ar in the minority in Nigeria here. Go and read about what they did to non shiites after they had won the revolution in iran. They are bloody, let the media decieve you. How did you think iraq was conquered, it was with the aid of these traitors called shiites. If they were the only islamic sect left then I wld never be part of them.

you are talking as a Sunni i guess.

i have been following news for a long time. i have not come across a news that a Shiite suicide bomber blew himself up in a Sunni mosque. it is always the other way round. why?

the weapons i saw in the video are household tools like catapult, stick, and machete in contrast to heavily armed soldiers with guns.

i would advise you to put away your religious sentiments and talk as a human being. most, if not all people on this forum are not Shia, and not even Muslims, but it is out of human sympathy we talk.

ElCapone:
If this same ppl are left to grow into a monster you wld still castigate us that we did nt do anything abt the. We wiser nw, dat boko haram mistake wld never be made ever again, at a point due to the way they were portrayed on media we gave d boko haram subtle support, not until they start killing us. So same goes for the shiites, when yhu defy constituted authority then be ready to dance to the music.

you actually believe the Shiites are a sect like boko haram. that is a misconception. Shiites are found all across the world. it is a version/branch/denomination of Islam, and the other being Sunnis. Muslims all over the world either subscribe to Sunni Islam or Shia Islam. boko haram belongs to Sunni Islam, and not all Sunnis follow boko haram.

the main Islamic organization in Nigeria that Shia Muslims subscribe to is the Islamic Movement in Nigeria led by Zakzaky. but not all of Nigeria's Shiite population belong to Zakzaky's movement. my issue is you cannot castigate, and condemn an entire religion or a version of a religion that millions affiliate themselves to. if there was a problem of law obedience that the government wants the organzation of Zakzaky to adjust, it could have been done without bloodshed.

those people were not armed and you dont attack them with soldiers and kill them because they dont abide by laws or they are unruly in their processions. after the incident and the army chief passed and the road was cleared with force that led to killing seven of the Shiites, there was a follow up attack on the prayer center (hussainiyyah) and the house of the cleric. what is all this for?

it is now getting very obvious and logical why the army would escalate the road clash and later storm the Shiite Hussainiyah (religious center) and the house of Zakzaky to kill at sight and demolish properties after the army chief had already passed, and seven were killed on the road.

it looks like El Rufai had plans all along to demolish their worship center and ban their procession; just waiting for the right excuse and time. El Rufai cannot do without demolition; its in him like Peak Milk! the question now is will these peaceful people be allowed to conduct their religious procession if they seek government cover and permit? or would they be discriminated against? the military action and crimes committed against civilians are not justifiable.

Governors of Nigeria’s 19 Northern States on Saturday in Kaduna endorsed the actions of Kaduna State, the location of last weekend’s violence involving Nigeria's Shiites.

by SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORK Dec 19, 2015

Governors of Nigeria’s 19 Northern States on Saturday in Kaduna endorsed the actions of Kaduna State, the location of last weekend’s violence involving Nigeria's Shiites.

In a communique issued at the end of a meeting, the governors stressed that all Nigerians should respect the law and constituted authority, adding that organization, whether religious or social, must operate within the law.

Offering condolences to the families of all those who lost their lives in the Zaria tragedy, and wishing the wounded speedy recovery, they endorsed all the steps taken so far by the government of Kaduna State to contain the situation.

They also expressed support for the decision of the Governor of Kaduna to constitute a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to examine the remote and immediate causes of the Zaria incident, and commended him for it.

The governors reassured citizens of their readiness to maintain law and order while respecting the constitutional rights of citizens to practice their faith without infringing on the rights of others.

They however frowned on arbitrary blockage of highways by unauthorized processions which inconvenience others, and resolved that processions must henceforth have police permit and protection as prescribed by the law.
The governors reaffirmed their commitment to take measures to revive and grow the economies of Northern States to create jobs and other opportunities, adding that efforts are already in top gear to review agriculture and industries related to agriculture.

The called on all Nigerians, irrespective of differences in political affiliations, religious persuasions, sectional or ethnic backgrounds, to coalesce into a single unit and collectively fight the nation’s common tragedies of poverty, destitution and illiteracy.

“The problems confronting us go beyond politics,” they said. “We should unite to confront our common challenges.”

Encouraging citizens to report suspicious and concerns to constituted authority, the governors appealed to the media to exercise restraint and decorum, and to avoid inflaming passions or stoking the embers of division and intolerance.
Interested in Advertising?

SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORK

http://saharareporters.com/2015/12/19/northern-nigeria-governors-endorse-action-against-shiites

papparatzzi2013:
No religious body or group of persons has a right to constitute itself as a parallel govt within a sovereign state.
No one has a right to block a public road or public infrastructure in the name of whatever he or she is worshipping or whatever issue he is protesting on.
Failure to respect the right of others while claiming and exercise yours, is an invitation to govt to use it's law enforcement arm to enforce the right of others on you and to make you succumb to constituted authority by all means.

Be talking trash to prove you're too wise.

Whenever you break a law on the road or street, soldiers should beat the hell out of you. And when they are through with you, they will attack your house and flog your momsy and popsy. And then go to your church and beat everyone. Say a big amen!

I'm only mentioning "flog", not even "kill". So you may realize the gravity and magnitude of the tragedy in Zaria.

[img]http://elbinawi.files./2015/12/img-20151219-wa0023.jpg?w=229&h=200&crop=1[/img]

The El-Rufai’s phony broadcast

December 19, 2015Uncategorized

That El-Rufai’s phony broadcast

Going by the concept and tone of the state broadcast on the extra-judicial killing of thousands of Members of the Islamic Movement in Nigera by the Nigerian Army, delivered by the Kaduna state Governor, Nasir Ahmed El-rufai, it is clear that the Governor is more like an extremist anti-Shi’ite Governor and not a state Governor.

Although the Governor took his time in his speech to elaborate on rights to religion and social association, but he chose to deny only the Shi’ites such rights who he sees as his enemies.

Clearly, he spent considerable time collecting propaganda details indicting the Movement, which further buttresses the point that the state governor has his hands soiled by the blood spilled in the mass extra-judicial killings perpetrated by the Army.

In that circumstance, no justice should be expected from a speech made up with details only provided by the antagonistic culprits without hearing from the other party who are the victims in this case.

During the one-sided speech, he brought up a number of allegations that he said they discovered. We will take up these one after the other:

THE HUSSAINIYAH: He alledged that our centre had no building permit and such other allegations. One wonders why if the Kaduna state government felt the Hussainiyah was wrongly erected or breached planning permits, they did not resort to legal action rather than use of brutal force. Why not get a court order to effect an eviction? Or does the government mean there are no magistrates or Alkali left in Zaria anymore? For Governor Elrufai to claim that there is no valid paper on the land on which Husainiyya was built as the basis for this military attack, only further proves that the attack was premeditated.

We are equally astonished when the Governor in his broadcast claimed that “they had tried to forcibly acquire the property of their neighbours; this is apart from subjecting residents to an illegal curfew.” We challenge the Governor to cite one particular case where we forcibly acquired a property, let alone a time when we imposed curfew.

GABARI INCIDENCE

The Governor also claimed that “There had been tension in parts of Zaria since Thursday, 10 December 2015, when members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria were alleged to have attacked Gabari, a community on the outskirts of Zaria, in continuation of a dispute over a mosque.” We would like to ask Mr. Governor how many disputes over mosques have been reported in the 37 years that the IMN have been there in Zaria? The idea that Shiites will go and take over a Salafi mosque is as laughable as the idea that christian evangelicals will raid a Catholic cathedral and tell the adherents to get out. This big lie cannot stand any scrutiny. What happened in Gabari is not “Mosque snatching” as the Governor claims. It was a case of some Salafist bent on attacking the shiites in the neighborhood. In the process they killed one person the week before and a further three Shiites on Thursday. The Governor cleverly stated this in his speech as if to show that we were not the victims but the assailants.

ROAD BLOCKS

The Governor made mention of the Arbaeen symbolic trek as an instance where we blocked roads for four days when he stated, “In the last two weeks, the Islamic Movement of Nigeria has also illegally occupied federal roads. Over a period of four days, they took over one side of the federal expressway between Kaduna and Zaria, and the roads to Kano and Katsina.” Clearly, this is a deliberate attempt to twist the facts. During the Arbaeen symbolic treks, we block only limited part of the road, and this is to protect persons from traffic accidents, control mass movement and avoid chaos on the roads. The Governor here was trying to give the impression of a complete occupation of a lane for four days. That was not the case. Blocks were only from junction to junction on the roads. The public was informed about these little inconveniences with apologies on public radio and television stations throughout the trek. Road users during the period would be surprised by the governor’s statement.

How does this compare with similar road blocks by others such as the Military itself that blocks from Jaji to Zaria, and at times from Kaduna to Zaria or within Zaria metropolis during their parades? Citing road block as the reason for this brutal attack is just laughable. Where in the law books is it written that those who block the roads should be massacred without trials?

WEAPONS

The Governor also alleged “In addition, members of the movement are alleged to openly carry and use offensive weapons.” The Governor should mention those weapons they found when they razed our Husainiyya to the ground or Sheikh Zakzaky’s residence. While the military involved in this operation said in its press conference that they did not find any weapons after all the mass killings they did in Zaria, the governor in his desperate attempt to blacklist the movement, still talked of offensive weapons. From the speech of the Governor one can deduce that he did all he can to portray the Movement as assailants.

JUDICIAL BOARD OF INQUIRY

After leveling all allegations against the movement, the governor went ahead to talk of setting up a Judicial Board of Inquiry. One wonders why he didn’t leave the Inquiry to determine who are the assailants and who are the victims. Definitely the scope and mission of the inquiry could be problematic. The army is a federal institution. It would be difficult enough for a state judge to inquire into what they have done when they are not answerable to state officials. How will such a judge now also overturn conclusions already reached by the Governor?

CONCLUSION

In conclusion one can see that the governor was desperately struggling to find an excuse to justify the massacre we are witnessing without recourse to due process of the law. All these simply show that the attack was pre-planned and premeditated.

Peace be upon those who follow Allah’s guidance

SIGNED BY

IBRAHIM MUSA

PRESIDENT OF MEDIA FORUM OF THE ISLAMIC MOVEMENT

18/12/15

https://elbinawi./2015/12/19/the-el-rufais-phony-broadcast/

Babajk:
they are not, and I will like that people shoudnt regard them as one. He that is a Muslim will ever doubt the teachings SAW rightly guided khalifas, dey change the deen so they are not part of us.

if they are not, then let them be. it is not illegal in Nigeria to be a non-Muslim. is it a crime? nawa o. which kind wahala be this one? na by force to be Muslim?

A Government of Sadists, By Femi-Fani Kay ode

The Buhari administration is indulging in wickedness and the abuse of power, violating the civil liberties and human rights of its own citizens, murdering its own people, dividing the country, witchunting and intimidating its perceived enemies, making a mockery of justice and the fight against corruption, rejecting peace and all that is wholesome and true and, like the biblical Pharoah, they are provoking the wrath of the Lord and playing with fire.

On the night of December 12, 2015 in the city of Zaria, Kaduna state, Sheikh El Zakzaky, the leader of the 10 million-strong Shia muslim community in Nigeria, was shot, brutalised and dumped in a wheelbarrow. He barely escaped with his life but sadly, according to Iranian government sources and The New York Times, his wife, two of his sons and no less than one thousand of his Shia muslim followers were not so lucky.

They were massacred in the sanctity of their homes that night by members of the Nigerian Armed Forces. Up until the time that I am writing this essay not one word of regret or remorse has been expressed by President Muhammadu Buhari, the Nigerian Armed Forces or the Federal Government about the whole incident.

That alone speaks volumes but what is more important to note is the fact that this is one of the most brutal and callous events in the history of our country. It was premeditated, well-planned, well-orchestrated and well-executed. Homes were bombed and burnt to the ground and innocent and defenceless men, women and children were slaughtered in an unrelenting frenzy of violence.

After the carnage, the bodies of the victims were left in the compound of the houses and in the streets and gutters for carrion birds to feed on and for street urchins and petty thieves to rob. This was indeed a sordid and shameful chapter: it was not only mass murder but it was also a crime against humanity. Those that were murdered were targeted simply because they were Shia Muslims and simply because, earlier in the day, some of them had mounted a road block which obstructed the convoy of General Buratai, the Chief of Army Staff.

It is very clear that by this act alone the Chief of Army Staff, under whose orders these men were acting, President Muhammadu Buhari, who is the Commander-in-Chief of our Armed Forces, and every single officer and soldier that took part in the massacre are guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity and are therefore candidates for the International Criminal Court at the Hague. Our leaders must be accountable and it is my fervent prayer and desire that the whole matter ends up with both Buhari and Burutai called to justice.

What makes the whole matter worse is the fact that there was no mention of the episode on BBC television or CNN and there was no sense of outrage in our country about what these people had been subjected to. One wonders what happened to our sense of decency and our ability to empathise with those who are suffering and who have been subjected to injustice?

What makes the whole matter worse is the fact that there was no mention of the episode on BBC television or CNN and there was no sense of outrage in our country about what these people had been subjected to. One wonders what happened to our sense of decency and our ability to empathise with those who are suffering and who have been subjected to injustice? What happened to our sense of responsibility, our sensitivity and our compassion? Yet it doesn’t stop there.

Two days before the tragic events in Zaria, a man was granted bail by two separate courts in two separate criminal matters in Lagos. However the minute he stepped out of the court premises, he was confronted and apprehended by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), violently manhandled, dragged off the streets, bundled into a waiting van, given the beating of his life and whisked away to an unknown destination. According to our constitution, this man is presumed innocent until proven guilty and up until now he has not been found guilty of any crime. Worse still, the operatives did not have an arrest warrant and what they did was manifestly unlawful. Yet despite that, again there is no sense of outrage in our country about the treatment that this man was subjected to. Again it doesn’t stop there.

Approximately one month ago, a man was granted bail and given permission to travel out of the country by the Federal High Court for medical treatment. Yet as he proceeded to do so, he discovered that the Department of State Security (DSS) had laid siege to his home. They refused to let him step out of the gate, they traumatised his family and they criminalised and demonised him in the national and international media. After a month of confining him to his home, they eventually stormed his house, overwhelmed his security men, roughed him up, dragged him out feet first, threw him in a waiting car, abducted him and carried him away to an unknown destination. All this happened in violation of an order of the Federal High Court and despite the fact that he had not been found guilty of any crime by any court in the land, yet there is no sense of outrage in our country.

Again it doesn’t stop there. A man obtains a court order that the Department of State Security (DSS) must not, under any circumstances, enter his home, yet they ignore that order, force their way into his house, shoot bullets everywhere, terrorise and manhandle his children, beat up his wife and “bite” her like a dog, throw their belongings into the streets and finally violently evict him and his family from the premises and into the streets, and there is no sense of outrage in our country. Again it doesn’t stop there.

A man is arrested by the EFCC, he is maligned and convicted in the media by what are, more often than not, false allegations and spurious confessions that are skillfully leaked to the press by his tormentors and captors. After days in detention, he is eventually charged and arraigned before THREE separate courts for virtually the same offences all in an attempt to break, humiliate and shame him. He is subjected to all these despite the fact that he is deemed innocent until proven guilty, yet there is no sense of outrage in the country over the matter. Again it doesn’t stop there.

They are cowardly, wicked, malicious, petty, insensitive, vicious and, worse of all, manifestly incompetent. They are a government of liars, run by liars and for liars. They malign the weak, harass the defenceless, torment the poor and punish the innocent but God will see their end. They are soft on Boko Haram whilst they murder Shia muslims, Christians, Biafrans, the young, the old, the weak and the vulnerable.

A man is arrested and detained by the Department of State Security simply because he expresses his desire for the establishment of a new nation called Biafra. He is kept in solitary confinement and denied access to his lawyer and family members for weeks on end. His lawyer goes to court and the court grants him bail and directs that he should be released on reasonable terms and conditions. All those terms and conditions are met but instead of abiding by the court order and releasing him, the DSS keeps him in detention for a further three months.

After the three months have expired, they take him to a different court and apply to keep him in detention for yet another three months. The new court declines to grant that order and instead directs that he should be released unconditionally and with immediate effect. On hearing about the order of the court, the supporters of the young man went to the streets in many cities in eastern Nigeria and started celebrating and jubilating.

This did not go down well with President Buhari’s security agencies and consequently they shot dead five of the man’s young supporters in Onitsha simply for jubilating, singing solidarity songs and dancing in the streets. Meanwhile the DSS have refused to abide by the court order and up until the time that I am writing this essay the man has not been released and he remains in their custody. All these have happened to this man and his followers, yet there is no sense of outrage in the country about what they have been subjected to.

When one considers all these events one is at a loss for words. Is this really a democracy? I have come to the conclusion that this is a government of sadists, run by sadists and for sadists. Not only do they place no stock or value on the sanctity of human life but they also relish in their impunity and their lack of respect for the rule of law.

They are cowardly, wicked, malicious, petty, insensitive, vicious and, worse of all, manifestly incompetent. They are a government of liars, run by liars and for liars. They malign the weak, harass the defenceless, torment the poor and punish the innocent but God will see their end. They are soft on Boko Haram whilst they murder Shia muslims, Christians, Biafrans, the young, the old, the weak and the vulnerable.

No matter what lies they tell and no matter what entertainment and palliatives they feed us with to keep us grinning and distracted, the value of the naira is still at its lowest in its 42 years of existence, the security situation is still terrible, Boko Haram is still waxing stronger, the morale of our soldiers is still getting lower, the price of food is still rocketing, the fuel queues still persist and poverty and hardship pervades the land like never before.

They defy court orders and mock the judiciary. They abuse power and defy the word of God. They rejoice when others suffer and they take pleasure in the misfortune of their adversaries. Instead of being just and true, they are perverse in all their ways. Instead of seeking peace, moving the country forward and facing the business of governance they have chosen to tread the path of destruction, persecution, discord, strife, witch hunts, lies, demonisation and war. In a futile attempt to distract the world from their own failures, they seek to inculcate and establish an atmosphere of fear and intimidation and thereby silence their perceived enemies and detractors.

Yet no matter how many people they incriminate, criminalise, malign, humiliate, misrepresent, beat and lock up, no matter how many people they kill, no matter how many people they abduct and throw out of their homes, the fact remains that the the country is still falling apart and our economy is still going to the dogs.

No matter what lies they tell and no matter what entertainment and palliatives they feed us with to keep us grinning and distracted, the value of the naira is still at its lowest in its 42 years of existence, the security situation is still terrible, Boko Haram is still waxing stronger, the morale of our soldiers is still getting lower, the price of food is still rocketing, the fuel queues still persist and poverty and hardship pervades the land like never before.

The Buhari administration is indulging in wickedness and the abuse of power, violating the civil liberties and human rights of its own citizens, murdering its own people, dividing the country, witchunting and intimidating its perceived enemies, making a mockery of justice and the fight against corruption, rejecting peace and all that is wholesome and true and, like the biblical Pharoah, they are provoking the wrath of the Lord and playing with fire. As He did with Pharaoh, Nebudchadnezzar, Jezebel and Sennacherub, God will surely break them and bring them down.

He will avenge the dead, He will vindicate the innocent and falsely accused, He will prove Himself mighty in battle and He will grant them no mercy. Shame and woe be unto all those who have chosen to dine with the devil by joining and supporting this government. The Bible says there is no peace for the wicked. There is no fellowship between light and darkness. There is no agreement between good and evil. There is no commonality of purpose between the just and the perverse.

Meanwhile as this obscene circus show of branding everyone but himself as a crook and feeding the innocents to the lions continuously, President Buhari is destroying the lives of the people, ruining the economy, crushing his opponents, silencing his detractors, discrediting his adversaries and dividing our nation.

There is no accord between the compassionate and the heartless. There is no bond between the kind and the wicked. I would rather die than join or support a government of heartless men and closet fundamentalists. I have no doubt that by the time this is all over the Nigerian people will regret the choice that they made earlier this year and they will beg for a true democrat and peace-loving man to be elected into office. Like the proverbial frog that is slowly being boiled in water but that does not even feel it, our people are being taken for a ride by the Buhari administration.

To distract them from his government’s monumental failures, the President feeds them with a daily dose of lies, falsehood and sensational and unsubstantiated allegations about the so-called corruption of key players in the previous administration. Sadly the people lap it up with joy and accept the tales they are being told without question, reason or exception. They forget that allegations are a dime a dozen and that trial by media does not often result in a conviction in a diligent and responsible court of law.

Meanwhile as this obscene circus show of branding everyone but himself as a crook and feeding the innocents to the lions continuously, President Buhari is destroying the lives of the people, ruining the economy, crushing his opponents, silencing his detractors, discrediting his adversaries and dividing our nation. He is also breaking the spirit of our country and turning us into a laughing stock before the international community.

The bottom line is this: Nigeria has been transformed into a gestapo-like police state where state-sponsored lies and propaganda hold sway and where fear, coercion, blackmail and intimidation is the primary tool of governance.

May God grant us the courage to take back our country and may the forces of light, truth and justice prevail in our land. Merry Christmas.

http://blogs.premiumtimesng.com/?p=170030

Sheikh Zakzaky Remains In Military Custody - Nigerian Army Source

The news that Mr. Zakzaky remains in the custody of the military shows not only that Mr. Buratai has been lying to the public, but military officials are attempting to cover up last week’s massacre.

BY SAHARA REPORTERS, NEW YORK


SaharaReporters has learned from an army general in the Nigerian military that Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky remains in military custody, contrary to statements made by Army Chief of Staff Tukur Buratai to the public.

https://saharareporters.com/sites/default/files/styles/normal_medium/public/zazakay.jpg?itok=mhkwmEKj
Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky after being attacked by the Nigerian military
Photo credit: Sahara Reporters Media

The army general speaking to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity stated that Mr. Zakzaky is currently held in a military facility in Kaduna State. The high-ranking source also disclosed to our correspondent that only soldiers had access to Mr. Zakzaky.

SaharaReporters spoke with a member of Mr. Zakzaky’s family yesterday who told our correspondent that no one had directly communicated with him since his arrest by the military. The Nigerian army carried out a massacre of Shiite Muslims in Kaduna State last weekend after claiming Shiite protesters attempted to assassinate General Buratai.

It is believed that the military murdered several of Mr. Zakzaky’s family during the massacre and subsequent raid on his home. The military also demolished a shrine belonging to the Muslim group with little explanation why they chose to bulldoze it.

The news that Mr. Zakzaky remains in the custody of the military shows not only that Mr. Buratai has been lying to the public, but military officials are attempting to cover up last week’s massacre.

Human rights groups and international organizations have condemned the Nigerian military for denying Mr. Zakzaky his human rights and not allowing him to have legal or proper medical assistance.

http://saharareporters.com/2015/12/18/sheikh-zakzaky-remains-military-custody-nigerian-army-source

Zaria Killings: Sack Buratai Now


Thus, Zackzaky and his members, were well within their constitutional rights, to hold a peaceful procession.
BY EBUN-OLU ADEGBORUWADEC 18, 2015

Without any doubt, there is no justification for the cold-blooded murder of members of the Shiite sect of the Zackzacky group, by the Nigerian military. The excuses that we have been fed with so far, is that the sect obstructed the convoy of the chief of army staff, in a location in Zaria. What the chief of army staff was doing in Zaria at that particular time, we have not been told.


Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution, grants every Nigerian citizen an unconditional right to freedom of expression, while section 40 grants freedom of association. Thus, Zackzaky and his members, were well within their constitutional rights, to hold a peaceful procession. Since coming into office in May, 2015, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari has instigated and received several processions of sycophants, in his office in Aso Rock, in the usual fashion of chorus singing and solidarity visits and nobody has ever disturbed them.

The relevant law applicable in the Zaria region is the Penal Code and if any member of the Zackzaky sect has breached any portion of that law, he or she should be dealt with according to law, not to be treated as animals or captured slaves, or be subjected to martial law. In this regard, it is totally barbaric and illegal, for the chief of army staff, to mobilize soldiers to invade a civilian territory, kill citizens at will, as if they are animals and then proceed to demolish their houses. In many of the photographs and videos circulating in the social media, Zakzaky himself was shown as having been shot and wounded and then conveyed in a wheelbarrow, by soldiers, thoroughly dehumanized and traumatized, as if he was captured in the course of a war. This is totally unacceptable.

I urge the International Criminal Court to intervene and charge Buratai for crime against humanity. The Buhari administration must stand up to the challenge of defending the Constitution and the lives of every citizen. Thus, every day that Buratai spends in office after the Zaria killings, is an affront to the people of Nigeria. I urge the President as a matter of urgency to quickly relieve Buratai of his position, as his conduct in this case has portrayed him as being totally unfit to occupy any public position of responsibility.

Furthermore, there has been too much military interventions in civilian affairs all over the land lately. In Enugu just yesterday, a group of soldiers opened fire on citizens that were celebrating the release of Nnamdi Kanu. Several other examples abound all over the land. Whereas we laud and appreciate the sacrifices of the military in combating terrorism, especially in the North-East, that should not be a licence for their uncensored brutality, over the same people that they are being paid to protect.

Above all, we demand to see Zackzaky in public, to determine the extent of his injury, to confirm that he is still alive and to be given the opportunity of stating his own side of the story, other than the ones that we have been fed with by the military.

Thank you.

Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, Esq.

http://saharareporters.com/2015/12/18/zaria-killings-sack-buratai-now

Revealing!

Retweet
Olusegun A. Obasanjo
(@SegunObasanjo):
If the shiites group that attacked the COAS
had no ammunition but only sticks and
machetes, then I support the resignation
of Col. Buratai.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjJMej7ilZw&feature=share

Agency Report
— Dec 17, 2015 9:04 pm | Leave a comment

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai , said on Thursday that the arrested Shi’ite sect leader, Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zak-Zaky, is no longer in the custody of the Army.

Buratai said this when he met with a delegation from the Nigerian Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) at the Army Headquarters, Abuja.

The Army chief, who was responding to the request by NSCIA to meet with the sect leader, said that El-Zak-Zaky had been handed over to the appropriate authorities for prosecution.

According to Buratai, lawlessness must not be tolerated in the society especially when a part of the country is confronted with terrorism.

“As a responsible and law abiding organisation, we will do all that we can to always safeguard lives and property.

“As for the whereabouts of the Shi’ite leader, he is not in our custody; he has been handed over to the appropriate authorities for prosecution because we don’t prosecute.

“What happened was avoidable and unfortunate, we followed the rules of engagement as enshrined in the constitution but what happened still happened,” he said.

Buratai dismissed claims in some quarters that the Army was after members of the sect.

He said that the army was only carrying out its constitutional duties.

He urged members of the public to disregard information and pictures contained in a section of the media, describing them as a false reflection of what happened.

Earlier in his remark, the leader of the NSCIA, Prof. Daud Noibi, said the group was at the Army headquarters on a fact-finding mission.

Noibi expressed the concerns of NSCIA on the Zaria incident and reaffirmed the commitment of the council to return peace to the area.

He appealed to the Army authorities to allow the delegation to meet with the arrested leader of the sect.

Noibi said the NSCIA would make efforts to douse the tension that had engulfed parts of the North following Saturday’s incident in Zaria.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Noibi was accompanied on the visit by the Secretary General of the council, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede. (NAN)

http://leadership.ng/news/484159/shiite-sect-leader-not-armys-custody-buratai

A human rights group says there is credible evidence of mass graves in Nigeria following a recent massacre of Shia Muslims by the Abuja government troops in the country’s north.

The Britain-based Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) said on Wednesday that Nigerian military had secretly buried hundreds of bodies in mass graves after it stormed the house of top Nigerian Shia cleric Ibrahim al-Zakzaky.

According to media reports, dozens of people are believed to have been killed in the raid, but the IHRC has put the toll at over 1,000.

The IHRC chairman, Massoud Shadjareh, has also confirmed that more than 1000 people were systematically killed in the Nigerian army’s brutal raid on Shia Muslims.

“More than a thousand innocent unarmed people have been systemically killed for nothing whatsoever. The reality is that all of what these people have done is to challenge injustice,” Shadjareh said in a recent interview with Press TV.

The fatalities came on December 13, when Nigerian forces raided the house of Sheikh Zakzaky, the leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, and arrested him after reportedly killing the individuals attempting to protect him. One of the movement’s senior leaders and its spokesman lost their lives during the imbroglio.

The development came a day after clashes between troops and Shia Muslims in Zaria claimed at least 15 lives and left many more injured.

Reports said soldiers opened fire on the people attending a ceremony in Hussainiyyah Baqeeyatullah, a religious center in Zaria. The Shias had reportedly stopped the convoy of the Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai as al-Zakzaky was planning a speech in the religious center.

The Nigerian government has come under strong criticisms from international human rights groups and activists for violating religious and social freedoms, including attacks on peaceful Shia gatherings.

Nigerian Senator Shehu Sani has condemned the military attack as indiscriminate and unacceptable, saying it has tarnished the county’s global image.

The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs has also called for an emergency meeting over the massacre.

Human rights groups such as Amnesty International have condemned the attack calling for an urgent investigation into the killing.

The United States has also urged the Nigerian government to launch a credible and transparent probe. In Iran, protesters gathered in the front of the Nigerian Embassy in Tehran to condemn the army's bloody crackdown.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Islamic Movement of Nigeria has also said that the Nigerian army’s attack on the country’s Shia community was an orchestrated plan to exterminate the community in the African nation.

This is while Takfiri Boko Haram militants have also targeted Shia Muslims in Nigeria. More than 20 people were killed on November 27, when a bomb attack struck an annual religious procession in the northern state of Kano. Boko Haram terrorists later claimed responsibility.

http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2015/12/16/442026/Nigeria-Shia-Muslims-alZakzaky-IHRC--

A7:
Oh dear!

10pm + 11hours cannot be 2am bro.

you are assuming the call was made on Sunday afternoon. it was not. it was at night on saturday.

A7:
Zakzaky is shot in the chest and whisked out by the army, fact! I can't tell if he's still alive because both photos of him after the raid showed he's unconscious.
Nevertheless, the above video is a fabrication, because soldiers storm hussainiyyah after the procession incident, another fact.
Zakzaky's statement from the phone call he made shows he is not hiding somewhere else but inside his house and he confesses there's no way he will make it out because soldiers have sorrounded the house already. Another fact pal.
About daytime issue, Zakzaky says soldiers arrived his house by 10pm the previous day and they are still laying siege after 11 hours. 10pm + 11hours is 9am. Is 9am not broad enough for you?

there is no justification for attacks on their prayer center and the house. whether before or after since the events are unrelated.

aside, the audio was recorded in the night around 2 am. it was very late at night. so it can be that the firing started in the afternoon on Saturday before the passing of the COAS. if i may recall the chain of events correctly, Zakzaky was found hiding on Monday.

Rafidi:
a video was released today showing how the followers of Zakzaky prevented the convoy of the COAS from passing. the youth stated that last year when a military convoy passed through the area 34 members (including three sons of the Sheikh) were killed. the youth challenged the army, and prevented the convoy from passing. the army used force and killed a number and passed through.
after the incident on the issue of road block, what we need to know is why was the Sheikh's house surrounded and attacked into the night, and the Islamic center and cemetery also attacked and destroyed, which led to many casualties, most likely, way more than the casualties (extra judicially) on the road block incident. this is what makes me feel alarmed and concerned.

these questions are pertinent, and that is where in my view the army carries the blame and there is need for caution and thorough investigation to be carried out and the human rights violations addressed legally.

[b]i have watched the video released showing army officers asking Shites to clear the road. It is obvious that the Shiite followers of Zakzaky mistrust the army because of last year's tragic incident under the Jonathan administration, when three of Zakzaky's sons were killed and thirty members of his Islamic Movement in Nigeria.

Undoubtedly, the army can claim anything after watching this video. Both sides could have avoided this incident by letting go their ego. The Shiites brought death upon themselves by blocking the road and confronting soldiers who don't value civilian life and play by democratic rules. This was suicidal in my view on the side of the Shiites.The Zakzaky followers provoked the soldiers going by this video. We however don't know what the soldiers mission was on that road and if the sect members felt threatened or thought the soldiers were on their way going to kill their leaders so they blocked the road and insisted not to clear. There is need for more details especially that the video is cut at one point.

However, let us go by the narration and video we have at hand. The soldiers have "protected" themselves, refused to turn back and cleared the way and have killed those blocking the road.at this point, it is still a road blocking clash and things have happened.

What is left to be understood is after the soldiers have cleared the way, why did they proceed to the Hussainiyyah and shot at sight and destroy the Islamic center? Why did they also go ahead to destroy the sheikh's house and shoot him and his family members? After the road blocking incident, the soldiers continued on the rampage on three different locations synonymous with the Islamic movement in Nigeria, far away from the road blocking incident location. More or less, it was revenge attacks and "lesson teaching" mission by soldiers. The Zakzaky followers were too overzealous and bold to confront the army and they are wrong to display stones, machetes and sticks in front of armed soldiers. That incident has passed. Why did the soldiers continue the attacks and extra judicial killings? I expect them to exercise restraint. And even if the sheikh was to be cautioned, the police or other ways should have been employed to caution him or even arrest him in a democratic dispensation.

So clearly, the video explains the trigger and the mistrust and misunderstanding that happened and both sides lost it and the movement members more or less committed suicide.

After the road block wahala had ended, the soldiers totally lost it and took law into their hands and went on revenge attacks and extra judicial killings. Things are not done like that in democracy. There is police and rule of law.

That is my opinion and you may agree or disagree. What is on ground is pitiful. Hundreds have been killed and properties destroyed. Many homes have been wounded.

May the dead RIP!

We hope justice will prevail and impunity will not continue. Had Jonathan done the needed last year when three of the sheikh's sons were killed along thirty others, a lasting solution could have been found to end the problem of road blocks and mistrust. There is need for confidence building measures and trust with the Islamic Movement in Nigeria to be put in place by the government to reassure everyone that no one is target simply for their beliefs or what they practice and then look for ways of cooperation and understanding to avoid any future mistrust or tragedy.[/b]

[b]i have watched the video released showing army officers asking Shites to clear the road. It is obvious that the Shiite followers of Zakzaky mistrust the army because of last year's tragic incident under the Jonathan administration, when three of Zakzaky's sons were killed and thirty members of his Islamic Movement in Nigeria.

Undoubtedly, the army can claim anything after watching this video. Both sides could have avoided this incident by letting go their ego. The Shiites brought death upon themselves by blocking the road and confronting soldiers who don't value civilian life and play by democratic rules. This was suicidal in my view on the side of the Shiites.The Zakzaky followers provoked the soldiers going by this video. We however don't know what the soldiers mission was on that road and if the sect members felt threatened or thought the soldiers were on their way going to kill their leaders so they blocked the road and insisted not to clear. There is need for more details especially that the video is cut at one point.

However, let us go by the narration and video we have at hand. The soldiers have "protected" themselves, refused to turn back and cleared the way and have killed those blocking the road.at this point, it is still a road blocking clash and things have happened.

What is left to be understood is after the soldiers have cleared the way, why did they proceed to the Hussainiyyah and shot at sight and destroy the Islamic center? Why did they also go ahead to destroy the sheikh's house and shoot him and his family members? After the road blocking incident, the soldiers continued on the rampage on three different locations synonymous with the Islamic movement in Nigeria, far away from the road blocking incident location. More or less, it was revenge attacks and "lesson teaching" mission by soldiers. The Zakzaky followers were too overzealous and bold to confront the army and they are wrong to display stones, machetes and sticks in front of armed soldiers. That incident has passed. Why did the soldiers continue the attacks and extra judicial killings? I expect them to exercise restraint. And even if the sheikh was to be cautioned, the police or other ways should have been employed to caution him or even arrest him in a democratic dispensation.

So clearly, the video explains the trigger and the mistrust and misunderstanding that happened and both sides lost it and the movement members more or less committed suicide.

After the road block wahala had ended, the soldiers totally lost it and took law into their hands and went on revenge attacks and extra judicial killings. Things are not done like that in democracy. There is police and rule of law.

That is my opinion and you may agree or disagree. What is on ground is pitiful. Hundreds have been killed and properties destroyed. Many homes have been wounded.

May the dead RIP!

We hope justice will prevail and impunity will not continue. Had Jonathan done the needed last year when three of the sheikh's sons were killed along thirty others, a lasting solution could have been found to end the problem of road blocks and mistrust. There is need for confidence building measures and trust with the Islamic Movement in Nigeria to be put in place by the government to reassure everyone that no one is target simply for their beliefs or what they practice and then look for ways of cooperation and understanding to avoid any future mistrust or tragedy.[/b]

"The time when they could oppress Shias and get away with it is long gone, we shall pay a visit to the puppet regime in Nigeria soon, God willing".

‪#‎Nigeria‬ ‪#‎Zakzaky‬ ‪#‎Iran‬ ‪#‎QudsForce‬

https://www.facebook.com/Iran.Military/posts/10153296309983603:0?__mref=message_bubble