You were not voted to kill your religious enemies, Shiites tell Buhari

The Islamic Movement of Nigeria, IMN, has said President Buhari was not voted into office so as to kill his religious enemies.

The IMN, also known as Shiites, stated this at an emergency press conference in Kano over the incessant faceoff of the sect with security agencies.

It would be recalled that the sect, since its bloody clash with the Army in December 2015, which led to the death of over 300 of its members in Zaria, has been having clashes with security agencies and fellow Muslims who are opposed to their sect.

The group was banned in Kaduna State by Governor Nasir El-Rufai. Their activities were also banned in Plataeu State.

The latest of such clashes occurred in Kano last week during their Ashura procession to Zaria. Not less than 10 members of the sect reportedly died in the encounter.

Read also: One NSCDC officer dies as police rescue 10 kidnap victims in Abuja

According to the Head of the Martyr Foundation of the IMN, Sheikh Abdulhamid Bello, who addressed the press conference on Monday, the Federal Government is doing all it can to wipe out the sect in Nigeria.

Speaking further, Bello maintained that it was the police that attacked members of sect after the Ashura procession had ended peacefully, adding that the police masqueraded as members of a youth vanguard group to attack Shitte members.

Accusing President Muhammadu Buhari of insensitivity to their plight, the sect said since the eruption of the Shitte sect face-off with law enforcement agents, President Muhammadu Buhari had neither intervened nor sympathised with the victims of police attacks.

He also insisted that the Federal Government’s silence over their plight was a subtle plot to permanently stop them from practising their faith and mode of worship.

‘’We were walking away from Kano toward Zaria and we did not obstruct traffic. It was the heavily armed police officers, who scattered the hitherto orderly, peaceful and solemn procession. There was simply no justification for the police attack, who unjustifiably shot indiscriminately, killing men, women and children, including an eight month-old infant.’’

Calling on government to release the corpses of the over 100 of their members for befitting burial accordding to Islamic rites, Bello called on Nigerians to be mindful of the shameless disregard to civilians’ lives and property exhibited by the Buhari-led administration.

“President Buhari and his lieutenants should be reminded that they were not voted into office to kill those they harbour religious enmity against.

“Finally, we also reiterate our demand for the unconditional release of our leader, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky, his wife, and all those being detained illegally since the pogrom against us commenced,” Bello said.

By Timothy Enietan-Matthews

Ripples Nigeria…without borders, without fears

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now