Investigate this bloody outing

The incident occurred during the group’s annual protest over the plight of Palestinians, known as Quds day. The commemoration of the day dedicated to the cause of Palestinians began in the 1980s on the instruction of the late Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini, and has been observed for over 30 years in many Nigerian cities where […]

The incident occurred during the group’s annual protest over the plight of Palestinians, known as Quds day. The commemoration of the day dedicated to the cause of Palestinians began in the 1980s on the instruction of the late Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini, and has been observed for over 30 years in many Nigerian cities where members of the group have substantial numbers.
Accounts of this year’s bloody incident in Zaria, the unofficial headquarters of the group and home to its leader Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky, say it resulted from the way a military convoy was allegedly denied passage in a street occupied by the protesters. So far the military have not said much on the incident, except to confirm that something like that had happened. The Army spokesman Brig-Gen Olajide Laleye was quoted by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) as saying that the “Nigerian Army troops did not initiate firing and only acted in self-defence after being fired upon”.
The Shiites, on the other hand, have given details on their version of the event, alleging that the incident is nothing other than cold blooded murder of their adherents. There is also some dispute as to the number of people who lost their lives in the incident that has paralysed social and economic activities in the ancient city, which coupled with the

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Boko Haram related insecurity forced the cancellation of this years’ Eid-el-Fitr celebration. While a military spokesman admits nine of the protesters were killed, the figure from the sect is 35.
With the benefit of our recent experience in the handling or mishandling of matters related to religious groups by the Nigerian security forces, we call on the authorities to be proactive on this bloody incident and do everything necessary to ensure that justice and fairness prevail. Without, in any way, praying for something similar, it is worthwhile to recall that the current Boko Haram-related challenge followed the heavy handed way with which the security forces treated the phenomenon in its early days – including the way the group’s comparatively moderate leader, Mohammed Yusuf, was killed extra judicially, paving the way for the infamous Abubakar Shekau to take over.
This newspaper is encouraged by the restrained way the leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria Sheikh Zakzaky has handled what his group sees as the cold blooded murder of their members, including three of his own children. “I am appealing to my followers to be patient and remain calm. After the burial of those killed, we will decide what action to take,” he said.
But perhaps it is worthwhile here to provide lengthy quotes from what the sheikh told a news conference in Zaria on Saturday. “During the shooting they have killed and wounded a lot of people, including children and women. It was during that shooting that one of my sons, Mahmud, a student of Almustapha International University in Beirut, was shot. He came home for holiday at the beginning of this Ramadan. He was shot at his abdomen. He was brought here bleeding, they wanted to take him to the hospital, but the soldiers had blocked the way. He therefore bled to death on the road (to the hospital),” he said.
“Among those arrested were three of my children – Ahmad, Hameed and Ali. They were taken alive and in good condition. They were taken to a military hospital in Basawa. When we demanded that they should hand them over to us, they refused, but insisted on taking them to Shika Hospital (themselves) and that we should collect them there.
“Later on we came to know that, they have already killed Ahmad and Hamid, while Ali was wounded on his leg. He has compound fracture. I don’t think it was bullet wound, they broke his leg. Up to now he could not be brought back because they have blocked the road,” he went on.
“Ahmad was studying Chemical Engineering in Shenyang University of Technology in China, while Hameed was studying Aeronautical Engineering in Xian another city in China.”
It is certainly for the good of our security forces that those grave allegations are properly investigated, and the culprits are identified and punished. Anything short of this will promote the culture of impunity that breeds long-term problems. It is sadly ironic for this to happen to a group that has been unequivocal in its condemnation of Nigeria’s biggest security challenge: the Boko Haram insurgency.
In the Zaria incident, the facts of the matter can only be established through an independent inquiry. The case should not be left to the military authorities to paper over it. As the government struggles to restore the confidence of its citizens in the even handedness and professionalism of our security forces, the least that could be done is to allow the National Human Rights Commission to investigate this matter – as it did in the dispute over the Apo killings, which the security forces claimed was carried out in an anti-Boko Haram operation but which the investigation found out not to be so.
This is especially important because of the dispute over what triggered the heavy handed response of the soldiers.
On his part, the Shiite leader will do well to curve the excesses of his followers who usually prevent others from carrying out their own lawful activities whenever the group is conducting processions which entail taking over roads and other public spaces. As a leader of one of the most organised religious groups in Nigeria, it will add to his stature if he admonishes his followers to also recognise the rights of others to carry out their own activities.