Group Marks Zaria Killings’ 8th Anniversary

The Islamic Movement under the leadership of Sheikh Ibrahim Yaqub Zakzaky, yesterday, in Kaduna held the 8th annual commemoration of the Zaria killings involving the Nigerian Army and the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) also known as the Shi’ite Group.

In December 2015, there was a clash which led to the military allegedly killing hundreds of the members of the group in Zaria and the destruction of their places of worship, among others.

The situation led to hundreds of the Shi’ite members including their leader arrested and imprisoned before some of them were discharged and acquitted.

Speakers at the event lamented the incident and how judgement which was in their favour and damages was awarded to them was not honoured.

Barrister Maxwell Kyon, who was among the counsel that represented the group in the various cases instituted against them, said in all of the cases, the IMN was never found wanting.

He said, “IMN needs to be apologised to by the federal government, the Kaduna State government and the Nigerian Army and necessary compensation paid to them accordingly.”
In her presentation, Dr Rahmatu Saleh, who spoke on the health implications of victims of the 2015 incident in Zaria, said many of the victims were passing through post- traumatic stress disorder among other challenges.

Malam Samini Kusa who spoke on the aftermath of the 2015 massacre harped on the traumatic experience of some of the members who witnessed the massacre.
One of the organisers of the programme, Hassan Muhammad Yerima, said he was a victim of the massacre, stressing that he was imprisoned for three years before being discharged and acquitted alongside some of their members who suffered the same fate.

He lamented that the government failed to carry out the orders of the court which said that they should be compensated, adding that till date, some of them still carry bullet wounds on their body.