Zakzaky’s 3 sons, 9 others killed as soldiers, Shiites clash in Zaria

Quds day is marked annually worldwide to sympathise with the plight of Palestinians under Israeli occupation and this year’s event coincided with Israeli-Hamas conflict in the occupied Gaza, leading to the killing of over 800 Palestinians, mostly women and children in the last two weeks.Weekly Trust learned that the soldiers attacked the procession around PZ […]

Quds day is marked annually worldwide to sympathise with the plight of Palestinians under Israeli occupation and this year’s event coincided with Israeli-Hamas conflict in the occupied Gaza, leading to the killing of over 800 Palestinians, mostly women and children in the last two weeks.
Weekly Trust learned that the soldiers attacked the procession around PZ Junction in Zaria, killing Mahmud Zakzaky and nine others, according to Malam Abdulhamid Bello, an aide of Zakzaky, who added that the nine others killed at the rally included a nursing mother and her baby.
A statement by Mu’assasar Abdul Fadl Abbas on behalf of the Shiites in Hausa said the soldiers had also taken away three other children of Sheikh Zakzaky- Ahmad, Hameed and Ali.
But Bello said two of the abducted children Ahmad and Hameed were later killed by the soldiers.
The defence spokesman General Chris Olukolade, could not be immediately reached for comment.
One of our correspondents who was among the hundreds of people caught up in the traffic gridlock that followed the demonstration at the Agoro and Tudun Wada area of Zaria reported that the procession was peaceful all through before the clash, as singers among the demonstrators were calling on Nigerians to come out to fight for their rights, saying that the “government is the Boko Haram that is terrorising Nigerians.”
Bello who said similar processions were conducted in other cities like Kano, Kaduna, Jos, Bauchi, Potiskum among others, but without any incident, noted that about 40 other members of the sect sustained various degrees of injuries but that the figure may rise.
“The procession started from Sabon Gari Jumuat mosque after Jumuat prayers and passed KofarDoka without any incident. But on reaching PZ Junction, soldiers from nowhere started opening fire on the tail end of the peaceful procession. The fatality figure may likely increase over night because some of those wounded have life-threatening gunshot wounds,” Bello said.
Weekly Trust reports that as the last batch of the procession was passing and some of the Shiite volunteers where controlling traffic at the Water Board roundabout, a van of Operation Yaki arrived.
“They asked those controlling the traffic if they were security personnel. It was from there that the clash began. Sound of gunshots scared us from the scene, and we heard that many were either killed or injured,” awitness told Weekly Trust.
A separate statement by Mu’assasar Abdul Fadl Abbas on behalf of the Shiites reads in part: “There are over 40 Muslim brothers’ casualties with different degrees of gunshots by the soldiers. The story is still unfolding. With reinforcement of soldiers coming from Kaduna, according to our news sources, it is believed they have a sinister plan on the Islamic Movement this night.”
When contacted by Weekly Trust, the public relations officer of the Depot Nigerian Army, Lt Hashim Abdullahi Sa’ad, said he was not at the scene of the clash and that he was waiting to receive information on what happened.
I have to compile the information of what happened and I should be able to tell you what actually happened by tomorrow (today),” Lt Sa’ad said.
Quds day is an annual peaceful procession organised in the last 25 years in Nigeria by the Islamic Movement under the leadership of Sheikh Zakzaky.