Femi Adi/Kaduna
Members of Islamic Movement of Nigeria otherwise known as the Shi’ite sect have rejected the panel constituted by Minister of Interior, Lt. General Abdulrahaman Dambazau to investigate the Saturday’s Zaria killings by soldiers.
General Dambazau, who appointed Zaria Police Area Commander to investigate the immediate and remote causes of the recent clash between soldiers and Shi’ite members in Zaria that led to the death of scores of people, had on Tuesday led the Federal government high powered delegation to Zaria to visit the affected areas which included, Sheikh El-Zakzaky’s residence that was demolished by the army.
In a press statement signed by President, Media Forum of the Islamic Movement, Malam Ibrahim Musa , members of the Shi’ite sect they are rejecting the panel because of fears of circumventing the truth and because they lack confidence in the police.
According to the statement , the sect members also rejected the investigation panel on grounds that Area Commander is a junior rank officer compared to the perpetrators of the attack, high ranking officers of the army.
The Sect members , who expressed anger failure of Dambazau visit the injured Shi’ite members who are languishing at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, however demanded that a high powered investigative panel headed by a high ranking officer should be constituted, whose members should include members of some human rights organisations and other highly respected elders of the country
Meanwhile , the sect members called on the army authorities that order for evacuation of the corpses of killed members deposited at the morgue of Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital and buried them in unknown mass graves to allow them excavate the corpses wherever they buried for a proper burial .
It stated , “This is is against all known Islamic laws and principles and even the international laws. The Nigerian army has desecrated our dead.
We hereby demand the location of the mass burial, and the interrogation of those who ordered the operation.”
According to the statement , it is a very unfortunate episode in the massacre of innocent Muslims conducted by the Nigerian army. It queried , ” How can people whose parents and relatives are all known be buried without proper Islamic burial?”