Shi’ittes claims fresh killing of member in military detention

The Ibraheem Elzakzaky-led Islamic Movement (IMN) alleged yesterday that another member of the sect had been shot dead in military custody.

Abbas Isiyaku was allegedly shot and denied medical attention yesterday by his captors.

Ibrahim Musa,head of the sect’s media forum said in a statement that 13 ‘critically wounded’ members of IMN were still in Kaduna prison at press time.

“Many more others, number unknown, are still being held incommunicado at various military barracks and other detention centers without access to medical care. This is inclusive of our leader Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky and his wife,” Musa said.

He added: “many of those that died much earlier, died in similar circumstances, when being shot and wounded, soldiers prevented access to them for prompt medical care even to the Red Cross officials.

“It is very unfortunate that in our democratic country, the army still detains civilians without proper recourse to the law of the land. We don’t know if Kaduna has already been declared a state under emergency laws. If not, why should people arrested by the army still be in army gulags for almost 3 weeks?

“We therefore call on civil liberty organizations and other well meaning Nigerians to help us tell the federal government to release members of IMN still in detention, most especially those with various degrees of bullet and burn wounds they sustained since December 12, 2015 during the brutal clamp down. Failure to release them will belie the response of COAS to members of the committee set up by NSCIA, by appreciating the concern of NSCIA ‘in this avoidable incident.”

The sect also demanded the immediate release of the corpses Elzakzacy’s followers in military custody “which are in their hundreds.”

It said: “and if as it is being speculated that they have buried them in mass graves, then they should inform the world where the mass graves are. These people they murdered extra judicially are Nigerians with families and relatives who are ready to own their corpses and have rights to them.”