From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
Members of Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), otherwise known as Shiites whose children were killed during December 2015 clash with the convoy of the former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Yusuf Tukur Burutai in Zaria have vowed to lay down thier lives for the IMN leader, Sheikh Ibraheem EL-Zakzaky as well as for Islam.
Sheikh Zakzaky had invited survivors and families who lost their loved ones to Zaria killings to formally sympathise with them following his freedom and that of his wife, Zeenat by the Kaduna High Court after six years in detention.
A statement issued by the Vice President of IMN, Abdullahi Usman said Zakzaky received his invited guests in his Abuja home penultimate Sunday.
The IMN leader and his wife regained freedom on July 25 after Justice Gideon Kurada ruled in their favour of no case submission following allegations of culpable homicide, unlawful assembly, public peace disturbance, among others arising from Zaria clash.
One of the invited guests, and a member of IMN, Dr. Isa Waziri Gwantu, who lost four of his children during the Zaria massacre, expressed gratitude to the Sheikh for inviting them to meet him in such a difficult circumstance and reiterated his resolve never to abandon the right path being championed by the sheikh.
Another member, Hajiya Jummai Karofi, who also lost five of her children to the military attack on the Islamic movement in Zaria, said, “I would like the killers of members of our families to know that what they did to us would never scare us away from Sheikh Zakzaky and the Islamic Movement in Nigeria. In fact we are ready to pay the ultimate sacrifice of ourselves in defence of Islam”.
Earlier, the Sheikh used the opportunity during the meeting with the invited guests to condole with them over the losses of their loved ones.
He urged them to always remember the persecution and hardships meted out to Imam Hussein (AS) when the dreaded army of Yazid besieged and massacre them several years ago.
He pacified his visitors that no sacrifice was too high when it comes to the path of Allah.
Sheikh Zakzaky also apologised for having to invite them, instead of him to go to their houses and condole with them.
“Due to the injuries we sustained during the military attack on us, we still carry bullet fragments in our bodies, and there is no way we can meet up with all the victims and the survivors of the brutal military onslaught against us in December 2015,” . He said.
The IMN leader prayed to Almighty Allah to give the families of the deceased the fortitude to bear the irreparable losses they suffered at the hands of the military.