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EL-ZAKZAKY: Protesters shutdown NASS over continued detention (Photos)
A mass of protesters against the continued detention of Shia Muslim leader, Sheik Ibrahim El-Zakzaky rocked the National Assembly on Wednesday.
The large number of protesters, who started their match from the Unity Fountain, to the National Assembly, forced the Nigerian Army authorities not to leave anything to chances, as they drafted a large number of personnel mainly from the Army Brigade Command, Abuja to strategic positions.
In spite of the large number of personnel of the Nigerian Police Force who were earlier deployed to major parts of the city ahead of the protest, the Army Brigade Command, which is directly in charge of security of the Federal Capital Territory, deployed its gun wielding personnel not only to the National Assembly, but strategic locations around the Three Arms Zone, housing Aso Rock Villa, the National Assembly and the Supreme Court.
The protesters, who were carrying placards reading: “Free El-Zakzaky”, “500 days of El-Zakzaky and his wife in illegal detention”, “Release El-Zakzaky and his wife now” among others, continuously chanted “free Zakzaky, obey court order.”
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The development caused panic and fear among people around the area, with some of them running away from the area in anticipation that danger was looming.
Addressing the crowd at the National Assembly first entrance gate where security personnel had limited their entry point, convener of the protest carried by a coalition of civil society groups, Prince Deji Adeyanju, said the long and continued “unwarranted incarceration of the leader” of Shi’a Muslim leader, Sheik Ibrahim El-Zakzaky even in the face of a Federal High Court, Abuja order necessitated their protest.
The former Head of New Media for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, said his group, Concerned Nigerians, convened the protest not only to demonstrate solidarity to the detained leader of Shiit Muslims but also draw the attention of the National Assembly to the continued violation of the rights of El-Zakzaky and and wife, Hajia Zainab.
Hear him: “Our organisation convened this protest due to the fact that today marks the 500 days that Sheik El-Zakzaky has been in custody of the Nigerian government without trial.
“As a Nigerian and as a Christian from Kogi State, North Central Nigeria, today, I’m a Shiit because an injustice to one is an injustice to all and the greatest way to fight injustice is when you see that injustice is being done to one, you fight for him so that it doesn’t come to you.
“The greatest way to fight for peace is when you see that the peace of others are threatened. You do everything humanly possible to ensure that you restore their peace so that you can also have peace.
“When somebody in Kogi sees trouble in Borno, he should do everything humanly possible to solve the problem in Borno because if he does not, it will get to Kogi and it will affect him. That is the main reason why we are here.”
He continued: “Sheik Ibrahim El-Zakzaky and his wife have been kept in prison custody for 500 days, that is 71 weeks without trial. Court has ruled that he should be granted bail, that he has not done anything wrong. Ironically, our government has said that El-Zakzaky has not done anything wrong, that they are only keeping him in safe custody. How can you keep somebody in safe custody for 71 weeks? We are saying let this man go.”
On why he chose to stage the protest to the National Assembly, Adeyanju said: “We staged the protest to the front of the National Assembly because the National Assembly is the only difference between a democratic government and a military dictatorship.
“In the military dictatorship, the executive and the judiciary are present but the legislature is not. But in democracy, the National Assembly must be present, they are the representatives of the people, they are the people we could get to.
“That is why we are here to let them know how we feel about the continued detention of El-Zakzaky and why they need to intervene.”
The group thereafter demanded that “the Federal Government complies with the order of Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court by releasing Sheik Ibrahim El-Zakzaky and his wife, Hajia Zainab, who have been detained without being charged to court since December 14,2015 by the State Security Service.”
“We demand that the Senate conducts an independent investigation into the event of December 14,2015 which led to the murder and secret burial of 347 Nigerians in which independent figures are much higher in Zaria, Kaduna State.
“We demand that the Senate conducts an independent investigation into the subsequent attacks on Shi’a Muslims in Kaduna and Kano State during their abadin matches by Nigerian security agencies who resulted in the death of several people including women and children.
“We demand that the Senate summons the Director of SSS and the Attorney General of the Federation to explain why Sheik Ibrahim El-Zakzaky and his wife and several others Nigerians have been kept in detention without charge and in violations of court orders for more than a year.
“We demand that at the end of the investigation, anyone found culpable of murder, manslaughter or any offence should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
“Our demand in addition to this is that all those who participated in the killings and massacre that was planted to exterminate the Islamic Movement of Nigeria including other Nigerians must be made to face the law in Nigeria and at the International Court of Justice, “Adeyanju read, before the crowd out of the National Assembly premises.
No delegation from the leadership of the two chambers of the legislature addressed the teeming crowd.
By Ehisuan Odia
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