Buhari called upon to prohibit military from attacking Al-Quds Day Demonstrations

By Abdulmumin Giwa

The Islamic Human Rights Commission of London, IHRC has called on the Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari to prohibit Army’s presence at the annual Al-Quda Day demonstrations led by the Islamic Movement in Nigeria across major cities of the country on the last Friday of every Ramadan.

The call is contained in an open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari and signed by Massoud Shadjareh of the IHRC.

Shadjareh further stated that it is imperative to send a strong message to ensure that peaceful and vulnerable members of Nigerian society can demonstrate support for Palestine uninhibited.

He explained in the letter that the IHRC is writing to the President to raise concerns about information it had received that the Nigerian Army will be in attendance and a threatening force at the annual Al Quds Day rally on Friday 1 July 2016.

The letter also enumerated several attacks on the pro-Palestinian rallies by the government in the past where peaceful protesters and members of the IMN have suffered casualties and deaths.

Shadjareh further stated that the on-coming Al Quds Day on Friday poses multiple risks, particularly with the perpetrators of attacks on the pro-Palestinian demonstrators, the Army ­ in attendance.

It would be recalled that the IHRC took the case of the Zaria Army attack on the Islamic Movement in Nigeria last December to the International Criminal Court, ICC seeking justice on crimes against humanity committed by the Army.

 

IMN will never engage in arms struggle –Sheikh Yakubu Yahaya

By Abdulmumin Giwa

The Islamic Movement in Nigeria will never take up arms in the name of avenging the incessant killing of its members by the Nigerian Army in Zaria last December.

This declaration was made by the representative of the Katsina center of the IMN, Sheikh Yakubu Yahya while revealing plans by the authorities to mischievously instigate some people into arms struggle in the name of the Movement.

He explained that the movement is aware of plans to arm some people in the name of the movement with the intention of blackmailing it and destroying its hard earned peace records.

Sheikh Yakubu stated that it is not possible to use force in establishing the Islamic system adding that it is only through enlightenment and exemplary behaviors that victory would come.

He explained that taking of arms is never a part of and will never be a part of the policy of the IMN calling on those who think otherwise to wade off the wrong thoughts.

The respected scholar said that the authorities are mischievously working to create a group within the movement that will resolve to taking up arms against military and police installations across the country claiming that they are avenging the killing of IMN members.

He called on members of the IMN never to give those mischief makers a chance to achieve their devilish machinations while he advised them to ponder because taking up arms is against the entire interest of the movement and its leadership.

Sheikh Yakubu called on the IMN to continue in the line of prayer as success is certainly close-by and never to engage in anything that will destroy the reputation of the movement.

Kaduna Govt will not prosecute IMN women and minors

By Abdulmumin Giwa

Kaduna state government has decided not to prosecute women and minors in the series of cases it filed against members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, IMN and has however discharged the accused persons.

This is contained in an application by the Kaduna State Director of Public Prosecution DPP, Barrister Bayero Dari filed before Justice Hannatu Balogun of the Kaduna State High Court on Monday 20^th, June 2016 asking the court to strike out the charges and discharge the accused persons.

Counsel to the accused persons in the case between the  State and Muhammad Bedde and 33others, Barrister Festus Okoye did not object to the application and Justice Balogun struck out the charges and discharged the accused.

In a similar case on Tuesday 21^st June 2016 between the State and Muhammad Awwal Yakubu and 80 others, filed before Justice Gabriel Wyoms of the Kaduna State High Court, 40 women and minors listed among the accused were also removed from the case and discharged as well.

This is also contained in an application filed before the court by the DPP expressing the decision of the Kaduna state government not to prosecute women and minors.

However, the case continued with the remaining accused persons whose charges were read to them to which they all pleaded not guilty.

Counsel to the accused, Barrister Festus Okoye requested for three clear days for hearing in the case which was not objected to by the state counsel.

26^th, 27^th, and 28^th of July 2016 were fixed by the court for hearing to commence and the complainants were instructed to produce all their witnesses before the court for examination on the said dates.

More so, in response to an application filed on Tuesday by the defense Counsel Barristaer Okoye, requesting for the bail of three accused persons on grounds of ill health, for which Thursday 23^rd June 2016 was fixed for hearing, the bail had been granted by Justice Wyoms with two sureties for each of the accused persons.

On Wednesday 22^nd June 2016, the hearing in yet another sister case between the State and Mahdi Munkaila and others, the session could not hold in the court due to lack of available court room as one of the court rooms was used for Elections Petitions Tribunal, another was small and could not contain the accused persons and the other court is not conducive as it is under renovation.

However both the counsel to the accused and the complainant met with the Judge, Justice Hannatu Gwada in her chambers where 14^th July 2016 was fixed for the case to hold.

In yet another sister case today Thursday 23^rd June 2016 between State and Mustapha Ibrahim and 49 others, all the accused persons pleaded not guilty to the five count charges read to them.

The Charges, as in all the other cases include, illegal possession of firearms, unlawful assembly, culpable homicide, disturbing public peace and illegally taking over the road.

Three clear days hearing was sorted for by the counsel to the accused persons Barrister Maxwel Kyon and was accepted by the presiding judge, Justice Gabriel Wyoms which was not objected to by the counsel to the complainants and 9^th, 10^th, and 11^th of August were fixed for commencement of hearing.

Counsel to the state was instructed to produce evidences before the court on the said hearing date.

It would be recalled that members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria IMN were attacked by the Nigerian Army in Zaria on the 12^th to 14^th of December 2015 after the Army accused the movement of blocking the way of the Chief of Army Staff.

Over 1000 members of the movement were reportedly killed by the soldiers and the Kaduna state government confessed burying 347 in a mass grave after the attack in a report it submitted to the Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up to inquire into the pogrom.

191 members of the movement arrested and detained in the Kaduna Central Prison since the pogrom are facing trial before the High court in the state.

 

 

 

“Sheikh Zakzaky’s detention is with his own consent”, says DSS Counsel

By Abdulmumin Giwa

Responding to charges enforcing the fundamental human rights of the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, IMN Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky, counsel to the Department of State Security, DSS Barrister Tijjani Ghazali said the Sheikh is being detained with own consent.

He explained that the IMN leader is being kept under “protective custody” for his own safety and that the DSS had spent N5.1 million treating him of injuries he sustained when he was attacked last December by the Nigerian Army.

Following this development, Barrister Ghazali applied for an extension of time to review the response of the applicants to the motion he filed before the court on the 9^th of June 2016.

Counsel to the Islamic Movement in Nigeria Barrister Festus Okoye did not object to request for extension of time. He however indicated that their team would like to respond appropriately to issues raised by the respondents to the DSS who have detained the Sheikh without charges for the past six months.

The High Court Judge, Justice Gabriel Kolawale ruled that the applicants should file their responses on the motion raised within five days from today, and ensure that the respondents are served.

The same processes were adopted for the case on the enforcement of the right of Malama Zeenat Ibrahim the wife of the revered leader of the IMN.

The judge fixed 13^th of July 2016 for hearing in both the two cases seeking enforcement of their fundamental rights.

It would be recalled that Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky’s residence was attacked by the Nigerian Army in December last year during which three of his sons were brutally killed by the soldiers at close range and his wife also severally shot. The Sheikh was shot severally by the Army.

During the attack, a compound in the Sheikh’s residence was set blasé by the soldiers burning some of his followers alive including his younger sister.

The IMN leader and his wife Malama Zeenat were abducted by the soldiers with fatal injuries and later kept incommunicado in the DSS detention facility for six months without any charges.

The attack on the Sheikh’ residence followed an alleged blockage of the road along which the Chief of Army Staff was passing near the Hussainiyya of the Movement that was about five kilometers away a day before his attack.

The Kaduna state government had confessed burying 347 members of the Movement in a mass grave after the deadly attack on the Movement that led to the killing of over 1000 followers of the Sheikh in Zaria.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thugs attack recipients of Ramadan food gifts from Sheikh Zakzaky

By Abdulmumin Giwa

Recipients of the annual gifts of Ramadan food items from Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky in Gyallesu, Zaria were on Tuesday attacked by thugs carrying machetes, sharp object and sticks where they seized the items and litter the streets with them.

The food items include maize, corn, sugar and rice which are annually distributed to the needy among the Sheikh’s neighbors in Gyallesu and other places in Zaria at the inception of every month of Ramadan.

The Sheikh has done this annually for the past 20 years and more with the number of recipients rising annually due to persistent rising economic difficulties in the country.

One of the members of the IMN committee that distributes the food items annually, Musa Muhammad Tahir explained that on Tuesday the thugs attacked those distributing the food items pelting them with stones and  shouting “bamu so” meaning “we don’t want” and they left the two vans containing food items for safety.

The thugs came with their machetes and sticks and litter the whole place with the food item on the vans and forced the recipients to submit the items they received to them or risk being harmed which they did and the entire food was scattered everywhere along Banadeen Street.

As if it was not enough, the thugs attacked the residence of the Sheikh’s sister, Hajiya Maimuna Yakubu along Sarkin Yaki Street where they threatened and beat her, trespass the house and brought out all her food items and litter the street with them as well.

IMN members immediately alerted the police Assistant Commissioner in Zaria and the Police Commissioner in Kaduna. The police escorted them and watched while they took Hajiya Maimiuna away to safety.

The Police Public Relations Officer of the Kaduna Police Command SP Abubakar said in a telephone conversation that he needs to confirm from the Zaria Area Command before he could say anything on the matter.

The Police were said to have made some arrests at the Gyallesu area but the suspects were immediately released without any investigation into the incident which suggests government’s likely involvement.

Further investigation into the matter revealed that the incident was incited from two Izala sect mosques close to Gyallesu who announced that the IMN members were sharing poisoned food items to avenge the killing of their members by the Army and thugs in December last year.

Haruna Danja Mosque near Kongo in Zaria was said to be the venue of the meeting that organized the thugs into action in order not to allow the people receive food assistance from Sheikh Zakzaky lest they support or incline to him.

A cleric speaking in another Izala sect mosque along Mangwaron Andi Street in Gyallesu was heard calling on the people through the mosque’s loudspeakers not to accept the food items from the Sjhi’ites because it is poisoned and intended to kill people in revenge of the December killing of their members.

The same messages were seen on the social media being posted by members of the Izala sect without mentioning their sources of information as to the food items being poisoned by the IMN.  The sharing of the food item had been on since Monday before it was attacked on Tuesday with no reports of anyone dying after eating the food.

It would be recalled that the same thugs were used by the soldiers to scavenge heap of corpses of IMN members killed by soldiers during the December attack where they stole personal possessions from the dead bodies.

Malam Abdullahi an Islamic teacher with students was one of the recipients attacked by the thugs who insulted and threaten describing him as a hypocrite for collecting food items from Sheikh Zakzaky. Malam Umar residing along Sarkin Yaki Street suffered the same fate with Mallam Abdullahi as the thugs seized the food items and litter the road with them.

With recipients getting between two to four bags each depending on the numbers of their family members, those that are yet to receive the items are still calling on the committee to give them and if they could not come they should tell them where to go and receive their own.

Generality of people have condemned the uncivilized act by the thugs and their sponsors as precious food items were left scattered on the streets while the needy are left in hunger and hardship that has overlapped the entire country under the current regime.

Meanwhile distribution of food items to the needy has continued today for the third day in a row and more people are begging to receive the food assistance to alleviate the difficulties in these hard times.

 

Enforcement of Sheikh Zakzaky’s rights: Army, COAS counsels appear in court

By Abdulmumin Giwa

Counsels to the Army and the Chief of Army Staff, COAS have appeared in court after being absent in an earlier sitting for separate cases between Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky and his wife Malama Zeenat Ibrahim on the one hand and the Army, COAS, Attorney General of the Federation and the Attorney General of Kaduna state on the other hand.

Barrister Biola Oyebanjo who headed the team of lawyers representing the Army and COAS apologized to the court for being absent in an earlier sitting saying it was not out of disrespect for the court.

He had submitted his response to the court on 6^th of June and the applicants in the case would need some time to examine it.

Barrister U.C Okoli the State Counsel, Federal Ministry of Justice stood in for the Accountant General of the Federation was yet to file in his response and sorted for time to do that as well.

The case taking place at the Federal High Court in Kaduna before Justice S.M. Shuaibu is on the enforcement of Fundamental Human Rights of the Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky and his wife Malama zeenat Ibrahim.

The Judge sorted for a cumulative hearing of all the motions to be submitted by the respondents for which an agreed date was fixed.

Justice Shuaibu said, “being a case that borders around liberty which is next to life, there is need for speedy hearing” he fixed 17^th June 2016 to allow for the hearing of all pending motions preparatory to the hearing in the cases.

The Counsel representing Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky, Maxwel Kyom accepted a motion seeking the court to fix another hearing date to allow for respondents in the case to hand over their counter affidavits which the judge conceded to and the same process was adopted for the case between Malama Zeenat and the respondents.

The Counsel to the Attorney General of Kaduna state, Bayero Dari accepted the court’s decision on the matter in which his client is involved.

All pending motions would be taken on the 17^th June 2016 in both the two cases before the court.

It would be recalled that between 12^th to 14^th December 2015 the Nigerian Army attacked the Gyallesu residence of the leader of Islamic Movement in Nigeria IMN, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky in Zaria.

This took place after the entourage of COAS was said to have been blocked by members of the movement along Sokoto road in Zaria while commemorating a flag hoisting event.

The incident led to an attack on the residence of the Sheikh by the army in which he and his wife were shot severally and three of their sons killed at gunpoint while a compound in the house was set ablaze leading to the burning of some people alive including the Sheikh’s sister.

The Sheikh was abducted and kept in detention without any charges for over five months and over 1000 members of the IMN were declared missing.

Meanwhile, the Kaduna state government had confessed burying 347 corpses in a mass grave with the help of the Army before a Judicial Commission set up by the state government to inquire into the incident.