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HRW: Nigeria Soldiers Killed Children, No Provocation

HRW: Nigeria Soldiers Killed Children, No Provocation
folder_openAfrica... access_time8 years ago
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Local Editor

Human Rights Watch found Wednesday that Nigerian soldiers fired on unarmed Shiite children with no provocation before unjustified raids that killed hundreds of the minority group in the West African nation.

HRW: Nigeria Soldiers Killed Children, No Provocation

The group further considered that the killing of hundreds of Shia Muslim members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, by Nigerian army soldiers from December 12 to 14, 2015, appears to have been wholly unjustified. It also urged that the Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up by the government should be sufficiently independent and impartial to hold those responsible to account.

Relatively, the organization said Wednesday it doubts the Nigerian military's version that raids over three days on three Shiite locations in northern Zaria town followed an attempted assassination of the army chief.

In parallel, the Africa director of Human Rights Watch, Daniel Bekele, said that "It is almost impossible to see how a roadblock by angry young men could justify the killings of hundreds of people. At best it was a brutal overreaction and at worst it was a planned attack on the minority Shia group."

The group also considered that the army's version "just doesn't stack up."

During the attacks, the Islamic Movement's leader, Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky, suffered four bullet wounds, according to family doctors, and is among scores detained.

Besides, Sheikh Zakzaky's movement said Tuesday that people wounded in the attacks are dying in military and police detention because they are being denied medical care.

For his part, the movement's Spokesman Ibrahim Musa also said the Kaduna state government has taken over from the military in destroying property of the movement, estimated to have 3 million followers. He said a school and cemetery were bulldozed Monday.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team

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