CHIEF of army staff Lt General Tukur Buratai appeared before a special investigative panel constituted by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) yesterday offering a robust defence of his troops' decision to open fire on Shiite protesters in Zaria.
On December 12, last year, troops General Buratai security detail opened fire on members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria Shiite sect in Zaria after they refused to let him pass along a highway to a function. Dozens of the sect's members are believed to have died in the attack and its leader Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky has since been remanded in custody over the incident.
Widely condemned as high handed, the incident has been described as an abuse of human rights, prompting the NHRC to open an enquiry into the clash. Yesterday, general Buratai appeared before the panel where he insisted that the army acted within its rules of engagement.
He said the Nigerian Army, as a responsible organisation, would not tolerate a situation where some individuals or organisations will continue to violate the human rights of others. General Buratai added that the army, having sworn to defend the territorial integrity of Nigeria, would always stand against agents of anarchy that do not want rules and regulations or law and order to prevail in the society.
General Buratai said: “No society will develop were lawlessness, peace and tranquillity of the average citizen is being trampled upon. It is not in the best interest of the nation for such lawless acts to be condoned or for the army to be unnecessarily condemned in the media because if the army is ridiculed, then we are not doing our country any service.
"We must support the army as we are facing a very serious challenge right now, which is our fight against insurgency. With what we have seen, if the Islamic Movement in Nigeria is allowed to move and operate freely the way it has been doing, the Boko Haram challenge will be a child’s play.”
He pointed out that he appeared before the NHRC due to his respect for human rights. Professor Ben Angwe, the NHRC executive secretary, said the aim of the five-man probe panel headed by Tony Ojukwu, the director of its monitoring department, was to unravel the truth behind the Zaria killings.
Prior to the arrival of General Buratai yesterday, members of the Shiite sect besieged the NHRC complex, seeking the unconditional release of their leader, Sheikh El-Zakzaky, from detention. The protesters, who were led by Alhaji Shehu Ahmed Bello, said they would not appear before the probe panel which they said had anti-Shiite members.
Alhaji Shehu boasted that there were over 40m members of the Shiite sect in Nigeria, adding that they are ready and willing to sacrifice 20m to secure their freedom. Though members of the movement were peaceful, their presence at the entrance to the NHRC caused a traffic jam as cars slowed down to watch what was happening.
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