Nigerians March against Army Killings

Local Editor

Nigerians held demonstrations in several cities in northern Nigeria to protest the recent killings of Shia Muslims by the country's armed forces.

People took to the streets in the cities of Kano, Kastina and Sokoto on Thursday to both express outrage at the atrocity and mark the birth anniversary of Prophet Mohammad[PBUH].

Relatively, protesters called for the release of leader of the Islamic Movement, prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Ibrahim al-Zakzaky and other prisoners recently jailed during the army's deadly crackdown on Muslims.

Abdulhamid Bello, leading the rally in Kano, said the protesters mourn the deaths of as many as 1,000 Shias killed by the army in Zaria from December 12 to 14.
He further stated in a statement that the marchers mourn the killings and the detention of their leader and that justice must be served.

The tragedy came after Nigerian soldiers opened fire on the people attending a religious ceremony in Zaria on December 12.

A day later, Zakzaky and his wife were arrested during a raid by the army on his residence and the buildings connected to the Shia community in the city. Local sources said hundreds of people trying to protect the cleric were killed.

In contrast, the Nigerian army accused the cleric's supporters of trying to assassinate a military officer when they blocked a road in Zaria for a religious procession. However, Sheikh Zakzay's Movement in Nigeria vehemently dismissed the allegation.

Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch and other rights groups expressed disbelief at the army's explanation for the three-day-long massacre.

In the context, the group's Africa director Daniel Bekele said: "It is almost impossible to see how a roadblock... 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," he added.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team