NIGERIA ARMY CONFIRMS SHI'ITES LEADER EL-ZAKZAKY IS IN ITS CUSTODY

SHEIKH IBRAHEEM EL-ZAKZAKY

The Nigerian Army authorities on Monday confirmed that they have the leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky and his wife safe and alive and in their protective custody. They were taken into safe custody by the army at about 9:15am, with some other family members.

Making this disclosure was the General Officer Commanding 1 Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Adeniyi Oyebade, who spoke to pressmen in Kaduna, Nigeria. He also informed them that the couple would be allowed to speak to their group members.

The GOC recounting the origin of the incident said the confrontation between the army and the Islamic sect members started on December 12, 2015 during the official visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to Kaduna state, when he got a distress call that the Chief of Army staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai was in grave danger after being blocked by some hoodlums on Sokoto Road in Zaria city.

He said inspite of entreaties from senior officers with the COAS, the persons later made out to be Shi’ites members still did not let the entourage through but rather became hostile and the army in line with its rules of engagement had no option but to clear the road, leading to casualties on both sides.

The GOC said the army got information on the mobilization of the Shi’ites members in one of their temples at Husainyya, the residence of the leader at Gyellesu and on Danbo road in the course of Saturday night leading to a long night of battle.

He called on all Shi’ites members to be law abiding and go about their religious activities without tampering with the freedom of others stating that “We have nothing against the Shi’ites because they are all Nigerians and our duty is also to protect them. But we cannot tolerate them forming a government within a government.”

The GOC further noted that for some years in the past the activities of the Shi’ites member had taken up a disturbing nature and become a threat to their neighbours, stressing that it was expected that every Nigerian must be law abiding citizen of the country with the right to worship within the law of the land without any molestation by anybody or group of people.