Islamic Movement in Nigeria: Ending the killing spree

An investigation by Amnesty International published yesterday narrates the horrific use of excessive force by soldiers and police which led to the killing of at least 45 supporters of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) over two days, as the Shi’a Muslim group held peaceful religious processions around Abuja. The report states that: “We have […]

An investigation by Amnesty

International published yesterday

narrates the horrific use of

excessive force by soldiers and

police which led to the killing of at least

45 supporters of the Islamic Movement in

Nigeria (IMN) over two days, as the Shi’a

Muslim group held peaceful religious

processions around Abuja. The report

states that: “We have seen a shocking and

unconscionable use of deadly force by

soldiers and police against IMN members.

Video footage and eyewitness testimonies

consistently show that the Nigerian military

dispersed peaceful gatherings by firing live

ammunition without warning, in clear

violation of Nigerian and international

law.”

The chilling report concludes that the

pattern of shooting “clearly shows soldiers

and police approached IMN processions

not to restore public order, but to kill.”

Amnesty International has evidence that

the military used automatic firearms

during Monday’s protest, in which at least

122 protesters sustained gunshot wounds

and at least 39 were killed. At least six

people were killed in protests on Saturday.

International law is clear that security

forces policing demonstrations must not

use firearms against protesters unless

they pose an imminent threat of death or

serious injury, and only if there is no lesser

way to avert such threat.

The report of Premium Times by Samuel

Ogundipe also affirms the bloody violence

that erupted after Nigerian soldiers opened

gunfire on Shiite protesters on the outskirts

of Abuja Monday afternoon leaving over

twenty members of the Islamic Movement

in Nigeria (IMN) dead. The report adds

that the fresh evidence collected by this

newspaper throughout Tuesday questions

the official account by the Nigerian Army

which said only three persons were killed.

It perhaps also revealed the extent Nigerian

authorities would go to downplay death

toll of civilian victims of a tragedy, an agelong

practice that has worsened in recent

years despite the country being a member

of various international convention on

human rights.

It is very sad, disturbing and totally

unacceptable that the Nigerian Army

established to protect the lives of Nigerians

would regularly resort to the use of a

section of Nigerians as cannon fodder. The

issue at stake is that the Nigerian State and

its armed forces has taken the position

that the group has no right to organize a

procession to commemorate the death of

a grandson of Prophet Muhammad and

to protest for the release of their leader,

Ibraheem El Zakzaky in detention since

December 2015 despite repeated federal

court orders for his release. The action by

the Nigerian Army has once again led to

serious reputational erosion as the national

and international community continues

to express its shock at the disproportional

use of force against this movement, which

unfortunately continues to present itself

as stubbornly determined to continue to

engage in their processions in spite of the

consequences.

I am very concerned that the Islamic

Movement in Nigeria has been treated

as the greatest enemy of the Nigerian

State. In October 2016, the Kaduna State

Government issued a legal notice in

relation to the organisation. The order

recognizes that “Sections 38 and 40 of the

1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic

of Nigeria have guaranteed the right to

freedom of thought, conscience and

religion and also the right to the freedom

of association and peaceful assembly to

all citizens respectively.” Nonetheless, the

Order declared that: “the Society that bears

the name, style, guise or nomenclature

of the “Islamic Movement in Nigeria”, is

hereby declared an Unlawful Society in

Kaduna State.” The justifications for the

order, according to the Government, are

the imperative for the promotion and

protection of public safety, public order,

public morality or public health; and/or

the rights and freedom of all persons in

Kaduna State.

The Order is anchored on the findings

of Judicial Commission of Inquiry into

the clashes between the group and the

Nigerian Army in Zaria between Saturday

12th and Monday 14th December 2015.

The findings, says the Government, draw

attention to acts, if allowed to go unchecked

will constitute danger to the peace,

tranquillity, harmonious coexistence and

good governance of Kaduna State. I had

the privilege of serving on the Commission

and my position has been that proscribing

the IMN might not be the best path to

the greatest good for the country. One

of the challenges that confronted the

Commission was that one of the direct

parties to the confrontation; the IMN

neither sent memoranda nor appeared

before it. Their counsel had written the

Commission stating they had no access to

the client and IMN leader, Ibraheem El-

Zakzaky and therefore could not speak on

his behalf.

The Commission found that the

Islamic Movement in Nigeria and its

leadership had over the years, committed

acts in breach of the law, peace and

against good neighbourliness. These

acts include IMN members committing

unprovoked attacks on other citizens,

illegal occupation of mosques and public

and private buildings. IMN members have

also shown total disregard for constituted

Authority and contempt towards the

Rule of Law and security forces. Evidence

was also adduced to show that they have

engaged in provocative preaching which

have seriously provoked other religious

movements as well as government and its

various arms. The Commission sadly had

only one side to listen to.

On the Nigerian Army, the Commission

ruled that there was no justification for

the killings of the 12th to 14th December

2015 in Zaria. The Nigerian Army was

wrong in “shooting its way” through the

blockade set by the IMN that led to the

initial killing of seven members of the

IMN. While there was justification for