From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
The Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), otherwise known as Shiites, have called for unconditional release of their leader, Sheikh Ibrahim El- Zakzaky, and others still in detention.
The convoy of Army Chief of Staff, Lt. General Yusuf Buratai, had clashed with members of IMN in Zaria on December 12, 2015, leading to death of several persons on the fateful day.
Zakzaky, his wife, and some Shiites have been detention and undergoing court trial since the incident happened.
In a statement yesterday by the IMN media spokesperson, Ibrahim Musa, to mark the fifth anniversary of the Zaria killings, it noted that five years in detention amounted to systematic oppression of Zakzaky and other members of the movement.
He said: “As we mark the fifth anniversary of this Zaria genocide memorial, we unequivocally reiterate that enough of this systematic oppression of Zakzaky and members of the Islamic movement. We call for the immediate and unconditional release of the Sheikh from this unjustifiable detention, along with those still in detention on this account.
“The days 12-14th December 2020 mark the fifth anniversary of the Zaria massacre. On days like those, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky, the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria and thousands of his followers faced the most brutal crackdown ever, at the behest of the Buhari-led Nigerian regime and its foreign backers. In those 48 hours of that eventful weekend, over a thousand unarmed Nigerian citizens were extra judicially gunned down in cold blood.”