Group Urges Prosecution of Nigerian Military Officers Involved in Shia Killings
The group, in a statement endorsed by its director, Mr. Joseph Otteh, said Kaduna State government is prosecuting over 200 persons for the death of one soldier without raising a whimper over 348 residents, belonging to the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) killed in December 2015.
"It is extremely disquieting that the Kaduna State government would rather arrest and prosecute over 200 persons for the death of one soldier, than charge one soldier for the death of well over 348 residents of Kaduna State. The lives of hundreds of Shia members who were brutally killed by Nigerian soldiers are worth protecting the same way the life of one soldier is worth protecting.
"A democratic, constitutional government means that the government is not at liberty to prefer one life above another, or to make judgments on the value of each person’s life based on ethnicity, faith, status or institutional affiliations, but must offer equal protection to Nigerian citizens. It means that the government must provide equal protection of the law to all citizens and, therefore, hold accountable in equal measure, any persons who have caused or contributed to the loss of any life,” A2J said, adding that the government cannot determine which life is worthy of protection and whose is not.
According to the group, it means the government is at liberty to let some citizens live above the law and compel others to live under it.
"Justice must be equally and evenly rationed to all citizens alike, whether they are soldiers or civilians,” A2J said, calling on the government to bring criminal charges for unlawful killing against the General Officer Commanding the Nigerian Army 1st Division in Kaduna as well as others, who the report implicated, today.ng reported.
On December 12, 2015, Nigerian soldiers attacked Shia Muslims attending a ceremony at a religious center in Zaria, north of the country, accusing them of blocking the convoy of the army’s chief of staff and attempting to assassinate him. The Shias have categorically denied the allegations.
The following day, Nigerian forces also raided the home of Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky, the country’s Shia leader, and arrested him after reportedly killing those attempting to protect him.
The two attacks led to the deaths of hundreds of members of the religious community, including three of Zakzaky’s sons.
