Abdulrazaq Mungadi, Gombe
Rasulul Aazam a Nigerian Shiite Foundation has distance itself from the recent proscription order granted against the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) the Shiite organization protesting for the release of its leader Ibrahim el-Zakzaky who have been in detention since 2015.
Addressing journalist on Sunday in Gombe, Sale Sani Zaria, Secretary General of the Rasulul Aazam Foundation (RAAF), said: The attention of our organization has been drawn to news making rounds that the Nigeria government has prescribtion and place a ban on the activities of Shiite across the country.
The government did ban Shiite activities but the activities of IMN whose members were drawn from Shiite and other religious organization as well, the secretary general said.
He explained that there are about nine other organizations following the Islamic ideology of Shiite apart from IMN in Nigeria: Shiite with over 10 million followers is part and parcel of Nigeria society and believes in the Nigerian system of government.
We are law abiding citizens and our Foundation is building schools and a society where everybody can live in peace. We believe in the Nigerian system that why we publicly encouraged our members to get registered and participate in the 2019 general elections.
While lament the avoidable hardship and loss of lives the protest by members of IMN in the country Sale Zaria urge members of IMN movement to seek justice the legal way: There are courts means of resolving issues in the country the ideology they claiming to be practicing does not call for such killings.
The secretary-general also called on media practitioners to employ ethics in reporting sensitive issues as they are: The government did not proscribe Shiite, they only proscribed IMN but most media organization said Shiite has been proscribed in Nigeria, which is not so. Even the Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buahri, Malam Garba Shehu said it today in a program on BBC that the government did not proscribe Shiite.
He also enjoins the Nigerian government to look inward and resolve the IMN issue the most professional way: So as to be seen as a government with high regard for human right and the plight of its citizens.
