Zaria massacre: Shiites mark 9th anniversary,

Folalumi Alaran in Abuja

The Islamic Movement in Nigeria otherwise known as Shiites, on Saturday, reiterated calls for the prosecution of the executors of the December 12, 2015 massacre in Zaria, Kaduna state.

This is as the group held the 9th anniversary of the massacre in Abuja.

In his address, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky, leader of the group, offered condolences to all those who lost loved ones during the December 2015 massacre and the subsequent killings.

He detailed how previous governments unsuccessfully attempted similar massacres, driven by ulterior motives to dismantle the movement and target him personally.

He also highlighted various instances of blatant disregard for the law by different arms of the Nigerian state in their suppression of the movement’s brothers and sisters.

“I commend the steadfastness of our brothers and sisters of the movement despite enduring various levels of intimidation and oppression from the Nigerian government, its security forces, and, at times, the courts,” he said.

He cited the absurd claim of ‘banning’ what the authorities refer to as ‘IMN,’ a term the Sheikh clarified as a strange label imposed by the government on the Islamic movement.

He reminded them that a religious movement cannot be legally or rationally banned.

“We have taken the government to Court and they have also taken us to court. In both cases, we won, but they refused to obey the court order.

“Now we have a change in government. It is good for the present government to respect the law, so that it would not be seen as a lawless government,” Sheikh Zakzaky added.