El-Zakzaky Marks 10 Years Since Zaria Shiite Muslims Massacr£, Says ‘Buhari And I Will Meet On Judgment Day’
El-Zakzaky Marks 10 Years Since Zaria Shiite Muslims Massacre, Says ‘Buhari And I Will Meet On Judgment Day’
The 2015 incident reportedly began when members of the IMN allegedly blocked the convoy of then Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai, during a passing-out parade in Zaria.
A decade after Nigerian soldiers reportedly killed hundreds of members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), otherwise called Shiites, in Zaria, Kaduna State, the group’s leader, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, said that attempts to suppress the movement under former President Muhammadu Buhari only strengthened its cause rather than weakening it.
The 2015 incident reportedly began when members of the IMN allegedly blocked the convoy of then Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai, during a passing-out parade in Zaria.
Soldiers moved in to disperse the crowd, and the confrontation quickly escalated into a large-scale military operation.
Human Rights Watch reported that 300 IMN members were killed and secretly buried.
El-Zakzaky and his wife, Zeenat, were arrested following the clash and remained in detention until 2021, when a Kaduna State High Court discharged and acquitted them of all charges.
Speaking at a press conference marking 10 years since the tragedy, El-Zakzaky criticised both the Buhari administration and the current government for failing to release the commission’s report or acknowledge the killings.
“Nothing has been done. They do not even acknowledge that anything happened. Even though a judicial commission of enquiry was set up and submitted its report on 7th September 2016, nothing came out of it,” he said.
“The president at the time said he was following the matter with rapt attention. But he finished his first and second terms, and they said nothing.”
He added that the current administration, despite earlier assurances, had maintained “total silence.”
On whether he had forgiven Buhari, El-Zakzaky said: “As for Buhari, it’s simple. He has passed away. We will meet on the Day of Judgement. I remember when I was shot and in blood, one of his ministers phoned me. I said, tell him my greetings. We will meet on the Day of Judgement. The equation of Buhari is over.”
He stressed that the government should address the “injustice” without being pushed. “We don’t have to demand. They know a wrong was done,” he said.
El-Zakzaky also said the attempt to suppress the IMN had amplified the movement’s message internationally.
“The attempt to destroy an ideology with a gun only made our cause known to the whole world,” he said, citing global protests that followed his arrest.
In dialogue with the government, he stated: “Why not? They know talk is possible. But actions are another thing.”
He further disclosed that the IMN had initiated international legal action through the Islamic Human Rights Commission.
“All the facts, pictures, videos, speeches are there. One day, the court will look at it,” he said.
Despite restrictions on event centres and public gatherings, El-Zakzaky said the group would continue its activities.
“If they don’t want to see us, they will still see us. If they don’t want to hear us, they will still hear us,” he declared.
