No fewer than 12 people including three sons of Sheik Ibrahim El-Zakzaky called Mahmud, Hameed and Ahmed are feared dead following a clash between members of the Shi’ite sect and the military in Zaria on Friday.
An eyewitness who pleaded anonymity told LEADERSHIP Weekend that the incident happened following the resistance of Shi’ite members to allow a military patrol van to pass through their procession.
The clash happened yesterday about 4:30pm while members of the Shiite were on procession marking Qudus day. Followers of the sect had converged on a procession towards Hussaniyya situated on the Sokoto-Zaria Road, GRA, Zaria.
The source said the military insisted that they must follow the route but the Shi’ite refused them entry.
According to the source, the Shi’ite members held two soldiers hostage and other soldiers reacted by opening fire to rescue their colleagues.
Meanwhile, a source from the Shi’ite sect hinted that Mahmud was about 25 years old, adding that apart from the 12 people lost, about 40 people received various injuries.
When contacted for comments, the Army Depot Public Relations Officer, Lieutenant Abdullahi Sa’id said they were yet to ascertain the number of casualties but promised to brief journalists later.
However, a statement posted on the sect’s website last night, signed by Abdulhamid Bello indicated that while Mahmud was shot and killed at the spot, Ahmed and Hameed were killed in custody. the statement further said the fate of another of the cleric’s son, Ali, who was also in military custody was still unknown at the time of filing this report.
Another statement issued by Mu’assasar Abdul Fadl Abbas on behalf of the Shi’ites said the “latest report on the attack by soldiers on Quds peaceful procession is that 10 Muslims were gunned down by soldiers, among them Mahmud Ibraheem Zakzaky, son of Shaikh Ibraheem Zakzaky, and a Muslim sister with her child on her back”.
According to the statement, “There are over 40 Muslim brothers casualties with different degrees of gunshots by the soldiers. The story is still unfolding. With re-enforcement of soldiers coming from Kaduna, according to our news sources, it is believed they have a sinister plan on the Islamic movement this night.”
Later, another statement written in in Hausa also said that “the soldiers have also gone with the children of Sheikh Zakzaky that included Sayyid Ahmad Zakzaky, Sayyid Hameed Zakzaky and Sayyid Ali Zakzaky. We are calling for the immediate unconditional release of those arrested.
“Zaria residents are a witness to the peaceful nature of the procession which took off from Sabon Gari Jumaat mosque up to its termination point at Kofar Doka, Zaria city. Nobody was molested, let alone his property. In fact, the leader of the procession was delivering his speech when some soldiers attacked the participants of the procession who were at PZ Junction in Zaria.”
Later, the spokesperson of the Shiite leader, Abdulhamid Bello, signed a release asking why they should be attacked despite the peaceful nature of their procession.
“Why should we be attacked? Whom did we provoke during the peaceful procession? Who authorised this attack? Who participated in the attack among the soldiers? These are some of the questions the security operatives in the state need to answer us and the public.
“Also, we demand the unconditional release of Sheikh Zakzaky’s children in soldier’s custody and other Muslim brothers they might be holding. And should anything happen to them, we will hold the authorities responsible!
“This is not the first peaceful procession carried out by Muslim brothers in Zaria. In fact, due to its peaceful nature residents in Zaria don’t consider it as an unusual event that calls for caution.
“Another proof of the peaceful nature of the procession is the fact that it was staged today in Kaduna, Kano, Sokoto, Katsina, Potiskum, Jos, Bauchi, Gombe, and many other towns in northern Nigeria and all ended peacefully. So why should the one in Zaria be an exception? The authorities should explain.”
All efforts to speak with the Kaduna State police public relations officer, Superintendent Aminu Lawal, for more details failed, as he was not responding to several phone calls. Leadership
