The Shi’a group, Islamic Movement in Nigeria, has rejected a proposed judicial inquiry to be set up by the Kaduna State Government to look into the circumstances surrounding the clash between the sect and the Nigerian Army in Zaria which left many members of the group dead and others injured.
The group said it had no confidence in the said inquiry, just as it blasted the state governor, Mallan Nasir el-Rufai over purported statements credited to him in which he allegedly denounced the sect’s activities.
In a state-wide broadcast few days after the clash, the Governor announced the plan to set up the panel of inquiry, while also banning open processions in the state, especially on highways.
El-Rufai also declared that the sect, in continuation of a dispute over a mosque, went on the offensive on Thursday December 10, causing mayhem in a community called Gabari.
He stated: Like the previous attack, this second assault on Gabari also took three lives. The alleged bone of contention was that the El-Zakzaky movement wanted to take over a mosque they did not build in Gabari. The mosque had been sealed by the authorities following the collapse of the arrangements that had enabled various sects to amicably share its usage.
“In the last two weeks, the Islamic Movement of Nigeria has also illegally occupied federal roads. Over a period of four days, they took over one side of the federal expressway between Kaduna and Zaria, and the roads to Kano and Katsina. They entered schools along these routes, using them as rest and recreation points without notice or permission or any concern about the disruption of academic activities.”