By AbdulRaheem Aodu
Kaduna
Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), also known as the Shi’ites, yesterday rejected in its totality the report of Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba-led Judicial Commission of Inquiry, which probed the December 12-14 clash between Shi’ites and members of the Nigerian Army in Zaria, Kaduna state.
The Shi’ites blamed what it termed the ‘massacre’ of its members in Zaria on President Muhammadu Buhari, saying that the president was briefed ahead of the killing of its members that the President sanctioned and ordered it.
“It was one that even President, Muhammadu Buhari mentioned with so much disgust and animosity during his maiden media chat. He repeated the same as reason why his government had to clampdown violently on the IMN while fielding questions on a foreign TV news channel in Qatar. It was also the clearest indication that the President was not only briefed about the clampdown, he sanctioned and ordered it.”
On why it rejected the Judicial Commission of Inquiry reports, Shi’ites said that, the government which set up the commission had already made up its mind that IMN was guilty, while the panel equally allegedly ensured that the leader of the movement, Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, did not attend the hearing.
Chairman, Free Zakzaky Campaign Committee, Abdurrahman Abubakar Yola, told journalists yesterday in Kaduna that, “it seems fairly obvious that the Judicial Commission of Inquiry (JCI) was a typical commission with a pre-determined mandate and report. Consequently, we reject the report and its recommendations.”
“While the Kaduna state government claimed that the Judicial Commission of Inquiry will be fact finding and determine the immediate and remote causes of the incident, it had already made up its mind that the Islamic Movement in Nigeria is guilty and charged over 400 of our members to court,” he said.
