Islamic Human Rights Commission
NIGERIA DIGEST 23 December 2018 (Volume 2 Issue 52)

Introduction
Action Alert
Articles
Videos
Archive

INTRODUCTION

Below please find an update on the continuous Free Zakzaky protests in Nigeria. During this week programmes, protests and rallies were held in various Nigerian cities to commemorate the third anniversary of the Zaria massacre and illegal detention of Sheikh Zakzaky.

We request campaigners to keep the pressure on the African Union by writing emails/letters, demanding the immediate release of the Sheikh and all those unjustly imprisoned.

Please forward any responses to any campaign letters/ emails you have sent to us and please keep the pressure up and send (follow up) letters/emails.  A model letter is provided below in the Action Alert.

To find out more about the Zaria massacre, read IHRC’s submission to the International Criminal Court HERE

To find out how you can help further, please visit the IHRC FreeZakzaky campaign page HERE

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Free Zakzaky!

ACTION ALERT:  

1. CLICK HERE to know the five things you can do to support the Islamic Movement of Nigeria. You can donate to support the medical expenses of those injured recently by clicking here. 

2. CLICK HERE to send an email to the African Union and demand their intervention in this case, a model letter and contact details of the African Union are also provided below. Please forward any response you receive to IHRC on wajahat@ihrc.org.

Model email / letter
If you are emailing, please use the following in the subject line:
Three Years of Unlawful Detention of Sheikh Zakzaky

Your name
Your address
Date

African Union Chairperson
President Paul Kagame
Roosevelt Street (Old Airport Area), W21K19,
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Date:

Dear President Kagame,

Re: Three Years of Unlawful Detention of Sheikh Zakzaky

I am writing to ask for your urgent intervention and to apply pressure on the Nigerian authorities to immediately release the unlawfully detained leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife Zeenah. 12 December 2018 marked the third anniversary of the Zaria massacre and their unlawful detention.  You are doubtless aware of the details of his case.

On 02 December 2016, the Federal High Court in Abuja ruled that Sheikh Zakzaky and Muallimah Zeenah should be released within 45 days. The court described their detention, which began in December 2015 as illegal and unconstitutional. The deadline for the court order expired on 16 January 2017 but the Nigerian Government has refused to obey the court order. The Nigerian government has kept them detained illegally for over three years now and Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife still remain in the custody of the state, in clear contempt of the court order.
The African Union’s silence on this issue is putting more innocent lives at risk. Recently Nigerian authorities have killed over 60 peaceful FreeZakzaky protesters, and arrested, tortured, and injured hundreds of them with live bullets in a barbaric attack on ArbaeenTrek 2018.

I am writing to ask for your urgent intervention to allow the illegally detained Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife to leave Nigeria for urgent medical treatment due to their critically deteriorating, life-threatening medical conditions. The Sheikh’s personal doctor confirmed in his most recent report that his only remaining eye is in danger due to chronic glaucoma and recommended him to be taken abroad for urgent treatment by a specialist, as this is not available in any Nigerian hospital.

It is imperative that you apply pressure on the Nigerian authorities so that they stop killing innocent people and adhere to the High Court judgment of December 2016, and release Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife immediately.

I look forward to hearing from you,

Yours sincerely,
[Name]

African Union Contact Details:

Email: au-banjul@africa-union.org; DIC@african-union.org
Postal Address: P.O. Box 3243, Roosevelt Street, W21K19 | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Tel: (251) 11 551 77 00 | Fax:(251) 11 551 78 44

ARTICLES AND RESOURCES 

Free Zakzaky Protests in Kano and Bauchi Marking 3 years Since Zaria Massacre
17 December 2018
Massive Free Zakzaky protests marking 3 years since Zaria 2015 massacre were held in various Nigerian cities including Kano and Bauchi. In Kano the protest  was led by Mal Sani Abdul Raheem, it started from Kano State Radio Cooperation around 10:30am passing through Kofar Nasarawa Area and ended at the old city Friday Mosque chanting and demanding release of Shaikh Zakzaky his Wife. A similar protest was held in Bauchi to protest 3 years of illegal detention of the leader of Islamic Movement Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky. Following are few pictures of the protests in Kano and Bauchi cities.

Nigeria Says Soldiers Who Killed Marchers Were Provoked. Video Shows Otherwise.
17 December 2018 – The New York Times

ABUJA, Nigeria — The message sent on Twitter was clear: When Nigerian soldiers opened fire on rock-throwing protesters in late October, Nigerian officials swiftly defended them, saying their forces had simply done what President Trump told American soldiers to do in the same situation.

The Nigerian military justified its actions by including a video clip of Mr. Trump’s remarks about migrants heading toward the American border, in which he warned: “They want to throw rocks at our military, our military fights back.”

Nigeria’s defense came after its soldiers had shot at protesters — members of a minority Shiite organization — marching on the outskirts of the capital, Abuja. The military insisted that the soldiers had taken action only after being provoked by the protesters, who hurled rocks at them. Ten soldiers were injured in the melee, it said. The military also said a total of six protesters were killed during marches.

But a close review of video from the largest and most deadly of the protests, as well as interviews with more than a dozen witnesses, clearly shows the military opening fire on unarmed demonstrators, sometimes shooting indiscriminately into the crowd at close range as people turned and tried to flee.

Click here to watch the New York Times video clip “How an elite Nigerian unit killed dozens of protesters”.

Zaria Massacre 2015: Sheikh Zakzaky’s release is the way out
17 March 2018

12-14 December, 2015 will forever remain in our minds, because they were the days when Buhari regime exhibited its worst brutality in its effort to annihilate the Islamic Movement and its Leader, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky. During these dark days bullets were rained on our Leader and his wife, who were then drag in their own blood out of their house, after 1000+ of his followers were killed in cold blood. Indeed such injustice is unprecedented in the history of this country. Click here to read the full article.

Zaria 2015 Massacre: Third Year Commemoration held in Abuja
16 December 2018

A programme marking the 3rd year commemoration of Zaria massacre was held in Abuja on Saturday the 15th of December 2018. Speakers include Human Right Activists which include Zainab Dabo and Barrister A. U. Adojo.

Zainab spoke on the atrocities of Buhari regime on defenseless citizens and levels of crimes committed by Nigerian Army in Zaria. Another speech was by  Barrister A. U. Adojo ESQ who spoke on “Legal assessment on the gravity of crimes committed against sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky and his followers”. 

12-14 December, 2015 will be unforgettable for ever, being the days when Buhari regime exhibited its worst brutality in its effort to annihilate the Islamic Movement and its Leader, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky. During these dark days bullets were rained on our Leader and his wife, who were then drag in their own blood out of their house, after 1000+ of his followers were killed in cold blood including his 3 sons and his senior sister. Many were burnt beyond recognition in the house, while Kaduna State Government declared that 347 bodies were buried in a mass grave at Mando area in Kaduna.

VIDEOS

The Zaria Massacre
Published on 14 December 2015
On al-Quds Day in July 2014, a unit of the Nigerian army opened fire on one of the 33 al-Quds Day demonstrations in Zaria, Nigeria. 40 were killed and many injured. This is the story of that day as uncovered by an IHRC team.

Appeal to Help Recent Nigeria Massacre Victims
01 November 2018
The Nigerian authorities have attacked the Islamic Movement of Nigeria leaving dozens dead. They need your help now.

ARCHIVE

Click here to read the article “Zaria’s military involvement in the massacres”, published on 19 October 2014 in Spy Ghana.

Click hereto read the article “Waiting for Ibrahim Zakzaky” published on 30 December 2015.

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IHRC is an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.

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The opinions expressed in this digest do not necessarily reflect the views of IHRC