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The deteriorating security situation in the country took a new dimension last week in Abuja when a senior police officer, a youth corper, serving at Channels Television as well as some protesting Shiites lost their lives in a matter that could have been averted by the government. The protest by the Shiites, which turned bloody, was meant to call the attention of the government and the international community on the refusal of the Nigerian authorities to respect the bail order by the court in the case involving their leader, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky and his wife, who have been in detention since 2015
By Anayo Ezugwu
NIGERIAN security personnel have been kept very busy in the past few weeks. Apart from contending with Boko Haram, bandits, kidnappers and general insecurity across the country, they also have to deal with the violent protests by members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, IMN, fondly called Shiite.
The group’s unending protests over the continued detention of Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, their leader and his wife, who have been in custody since December 2015, after clashes in the northern city of Zaria, Kaduna State, is gradually threatening the peace of the country. It may be edging the sect to full radicalisation.
As a result, many Nigerians have advised the government to explore all possible means to control the tension raised by the group. They urged the government to negotiate with the leaders of the group and speedup the trial of their leader. Femi Falana, SAN, and human rights lawyer, has urged the government to enter into dialogue with the Shiites members. He said also that the violent clashes between the police and the Shiites in Abuja were getting out of hand.
“Since the fundamental rights of citizens to freedom of religion and freedom of expression are recognised by the Constitution of Nigeria, we urge the federal government to enter into dialogue with the Islamic Movement of Nigeria with a view to finding a lasting solution to the crisis between the Sunnis and Shiites,” he said.
Falana, who is also the counsel to Shiite leader El-Zakzaky, however, condemned the violent Protest, which led to the loss of innocent lives. He also sympathized with the bereaved families of the deceased, calling on the federal government to obey all court orders.
“Just as we condemned the brutal massacre of hundreds of Shiites by the army in the past, we also condemn the avoidable death of the police officer and the Channels TV’s reporter as well as persons during the protests. We deeply sympathise with the bereaved family members of the deceased.”
Even countries like United States of America and Britain have raised red flags over heightening insecurity in the country. As a result, they have warned their citizens in Nigeria not to go to certain parts of the country. For instance, the British government has advised its citizens against travelling to Nigeria over the heightened insecurity, following clashes between police and the Shiites. It advised them to avoid places where crowds gather, including political meetings, religious gatherings and places of worship, markets, shopping malls, hotels, bars, restaurants, transport hubs and camps for displaced people.
Likewise, the US advised US its citizens to avoid large crowds in the federal capital, Abuja, and the commercial nerve centre, Lagos. The US noted that the last protest carried out by the Shiites during the week turned violent and its citizens must thus be careful.
It could be recalled that the violence and complete radicalisation of Boko Haram began in this manner after the government killed the leader of the sect. Today Boko Haram is among the most dangerous terrorist groups in the world and continues to hold sway since 2009. With the government giving Shiites the Boko Haram treatment, it is believed that the situation might get worse than this if the government fails to take decisive action.
The latest violence clashes of Shiites and the police began on Monday, July 22 and Tuesday, July 23 across the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja. The development led to the death of 15 persons, including a police officer, a journalist and 13 members of Shiite, while dozens of others were wounded or arrested.
Despite consistent loss of its members, the group has vowed to continue the protests until their spiritual leader is released from prison. Abdullahi Muhammad Musa, Shiite spokesman, said: “Even though heavily armed forces laid siege of brothers and sisters at Banex Plaza today, tear gassing and shooting live rounds of ammunition, free EL-Zakzaky protests will continue nonstop unless our leader regains his freedom to go and tend for his seriously deteriorating health condition.
“The Presidency appeals to El-Zakzaky-led Shiite members to desist from needless violent street protests and await the decision of the court in Kaduna where their leader is currently being tried. The issue of El-ZakZaky is before the court in Kaduna and his supporters should focus on his ongoing trial instead of causing daily damage, disruptions and public nuisance in Abuja.
“It is wrong to be in court and resort to violence at the same time in order to get justice for anybody accused. The destruction of public property in the name of protest is not within the right of this group of Shiite members and no government anywhere would have tolerated a situation where any group would take over public roads in cities as they have done in Abuja and interfere with the rights of other citizens, who are prevented from reaching their destinations.” Garba Shehu, senior special assistant on media and publicity to the president said in a statement.
This latest burst-up is not the first faceoff between the Shiites and government agents since 2015, and from the look of things, it may not be the last. Recall that the group had on Tuesday, July 9, stormed the National Assembly Complex and attempted to force their way in, but was prevented by the police.
Some policemen were injured in the process, including two, who were left in critical condition. The group also claimed that at least two of its members lost their lives in the incident. Several court orders have mandated the federal government to release El-Zakzaky from detention, but none have been obeyed by the government. The government argued his continuous detention is based on the grounds of national security.
That position is reaffirmed by statements credited to Buhari, where he suggested that issues of national security take precedence over public perception of the rule of law. The president has been criticised for those comments and the government has been faulted for its refusal to obey the court orders, but the antics of the Shiites in some of these protests are edging close to radicalism.
In the meantime, the government has people to protect and the peace of the country to maintain. How the question of national security and rule of law play out may become irrelevant if the face-off with the group is allowed to continue. It may even get worse if El-Zakzaky or his wife happens to die in detention. ‘God forbid you may say.’ But this may be the reason why, according to the government, it sends N3.5 million monthly on his upkeep in detention.
As the protest continues, many Nigerians believed that a quick solution would be the release of El-Zakzaky. Falana has expressed concerns over the method the government had adopted in dealing with the issue. He said the continuous detention of El-Zakzaky and killing of peaceful Shiite protesters by security forces could lead the country into another bloody war that it could not afford. “This nation cannot afford another war of insurgency which is being provoked by the contemptuous conduct of the federal government in the handling of the case of the Elzakzakys,” he said.
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council also urged the government to, as a matter of urgency, release all political detainees granted bail by any court of competent jurisdiction, especially, El-Zakzaky to avert a religious war. Okechukwu Isiguzoro, leader of the group, in a statement in Abakaliki, stated that the violent protest of Shiites in Abuja had opened the eyes of other groups who might wish to follow the precedent.
Rev. Father Williams Abba, Kaduna State chairman, Nigeria Catholic Diocesan Priests Association, NCDPA, said the labelling of the IMN as a terrorist group would be an action taken in bad faith. He urged the government to respect members’ fundamental human rights and allow the rule of law to prevail.
The cleric wondered why Buhari has not proclaimed the Fulani herdsmen that have continued to unleash violence on innocent Nigerians as terrorists, saying proscribing the IMN would clearly show where government’s interest is predicated.
“Fulani herdsmen who carry AK 47 rifle and go about killing people in villages and towns are the real terrorists and should be so designated. That the government has not declared AK 47-wielding herdsmen terrorists simply confirms what we have been talking about.
“Foreign Fulani militia have found their way into the country in connivance with bad local Fulani elements and have perpetrated so much evil and yet enjoy the cover and protection of government. We hear now that they have been given a specified period of time for e-capturing to be granted accelerated citizenship. Is this our priority as a country?”
As the faceoff continues, the government needs to do the needful by engaging the group in a peaceful dialogue and release their leader in line with the order of the court and avert a full blown violence by the Shiite.
– July 26, 2019 @ 18:59 GMT |
Tags: Insecurity: Unending face-off between police and Shiite
