The Nigerian Army is investigating the alleged killing of some members of Islamic Movement of Nigeria in Zaria, Kaduna State, on Friday, an official said.
The Director of Army Public Relations, Brig.–Gen. Olajide Laleye, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) by telephone that the investigation would establish what happened.
“However, what is already clear is that Nigerian Army troops did not initiate firing and only acted in self-defence after being fired upon,” Laleye said.
The leader of the movement, Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zazzakey, had told newsmen in Zaria on Saturday that soldiers killed 35 people, including three biological sons of his, during a procession.
El-Zazzakey said members of the movement were on a normal peaceful annual Qudus (religious) procession in support of Palestinians, which was observed all over the world.
He said that on Friday the movement had in its custody 16 corpses, while nine corpses were taken to the teaching hospital in the night apart from his three children.
He added that the soldiers killed three more people on Saturday morning when they were passing in front of Hussainiya, headquarters of the movement.
“One of my sons Mahmud, student of Almustapha University, Beirut, was shot at the abdomen and started bleeding, we tried to rush him to the hospital but the soldiers blocked everywhere along the way and he bled to death.
“The soldiers also arrested some people, including three of my sons, they were taken alive and later killed two of them.
“They include Ahmad, a Chemical Engineering student at Shenyang University, China; Hamid, an Aeronautical Engineer at Xian University, China, while Ali is still alive but wounded on the leg,” he said.
El-Zazzakey said it was the police that assisted the group in locating the whereabouts of the people in Basawa Barracks.
“When we demanded for the release of our people the army refused (and said) that they would take them to Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH) for medication, not knowing that the two were killed.
“I want to assure you that these two children were cold bloodily murdered because they were taken alive,” he said. [NAN]
If they have not violently confronted the army why would they be shot. Why is your religion enemy of peace? Can you imagine that two countries in the midle east are fighting and you are oganising a protest here disturbing our peace here, the amount of Palistanians killed in this war are they more than what book haram killed in nigeria unÐer a week? Then why haven’t your people oganised a protest against the evil activities of boko haram in nigeria,I want to put it to you Zazzakey that you and your children are members of boko haram, Why are you and your boko haram children disturbing our peace through protest because of what is happining in midle east but you don’t care about thousands of lives boko haram is wasting in nigeria here.If you are not boko haram members why have u not oganise this kind of protest against boko haram since all this years? Your religion is a calamity and a disaster in nigeria and the intire world at large.why can’t u people give peace a chance.
say whatever you want, but let me asure you that this is the making of a new brand of “TERROR”……
Thank u pst,as for u belo we know dat ur religion is always out there to cause war,just as pst have said,if zazzakey want to do procession 4 peace,why didnt he start 4rm d bokoharams in his country?is just dat d amies over power his sect and he does’nt know how to cover his shame dat he is making dat noise.God is fighting 4 those that fall victims in his hand.