But in another statement titled “Indiscriminate killing of members of the Islamic Movement by the Nigerian Army in Zaria”, spokesman for the Shiites, Mallam Ibrahim Musa, yesterday, said: “Following an alleged blockade of the route of the Chief of Army Staff by members of the movement, the Nigerian Army brutally descended on unarmed members with heavy military weapons killing indiscriminately”.
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However, Sani Usman, spokesman of the army, insisted that there was an attempt on Buratai’s life, alleging that the attack was carried out on the orders of Ibrahim Alzak-zaky, leader of the sect.
The IMN, which seeks to establish an Islamic state through an Iranian-styled revolution, has been at loggerheads with Nigeria’s secular authorities, leading to occasionally violent confrontations.
He said: “The Nigerian Constitution guarantees the rights of any group of persons and Sheikh El Zak Zaky’s followers to hold a peaceful march or procession unhindered, but it also guarantees other people’s rights of way on public highways”.
It was further gathered that, soldiers, on getting an alert of the sect members’ regrouping, mobilised and surrounded El-Zakzaky’s residence at Gyallesu area of Zaria and allegedly shot sporadically at anyone who either moved in or out of the residence.
Some Nigerians living in London protested outside the Nigerian High Commission against the killings of Shiites sect members in Zaria since December 12, Saturday.
Buratai was on an official visit to the city, the statement issued late Saturday said.
We are not surprised by this action, as there were reports spread by the same military the night before that the Shi’ites were to avenge their dead by hired thugs on Friday in Gabari, a village in Zaria.
In the course of the raids, Zakzaky’s deputy Muhammad Turi, who is normally based in Nigeria’s second city Kano, was killed as was the sect spokesman, Ibrahim Usman, at Zakzaky’s house, group members said.
Hundreds of sect members had mobilised from different parts of the north in response to an appeal on social media from the IMN leader for protection.
“The situation is calm and security has been beefed up in Zaria”.
However, the invasion of El-zakzaky’s home by unspecified number of soldiers, Sunday, reportedly led to the death of no fewer than 20 members of the sect, including his son and wife.
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A statement signed by Isak K and posted on the website of the sect, said the claim that the COAS “narrowly escaped assassination as a result of attack from Muslim brothers and Sisters of the Islamic Movement is a blatant lie”.
