At least 20 members of the sect were shot dead in Zaria in a clash with the Nigerian Army, who claimed they planned to assassinate the chief of army staff Lt General Tukur Buratai. It has now emerged that Sheikh Zakzaky's wife Zeenat and his son Aliyu were also shot later in the evening, while the leader himself has been arrested.
In a scenario reminiscent of what happened with Boko Haram in 2009, troops opened fire on members of the sect at function they had gathered for. Three of Sheikh Zakzaky’s sons had been killed in a similar attack by the Nigerian Army in July 2014 and this time around the Islamists have also denied they were planning any attack on the chief of army staff.
However, the Nigerian Army said they put up barricades and blocked the road to be used by its head and they had to open fire because the situation was out of control. After the exchange of gunfire, the army returned to the sect’s enclave known as Husainiyyah and the residence of Sheikh Zakzaky late in the evening and a fresh encounter there led to the death of the immediate members of his family.
Sect spokesman Ibrahim Musa, said: “Members of the Islamic Movement and other members as well, have been killed by the soldiers including the leader of the Kano Centre, Muhammad Turi, Mustapha Sa’eed, Ibrahim Usman and Jummai Gilima. The sporadic killings took place at three different locations that include the residence of the revered leader of the Movement at Gyallesu, the Husainiyya Bakiyatullah at GRA and the Darur Rahma located along Zaria-Jos road where many armless people were killed.
“The killing was so brutal at Gyallesu that even those injured in the shooting were identified and killed in cold blood by the soldiers. Considering the gross violation of fundamental human rights and extra-judicial killings perpetrated by the Nigerian Army, the Islamic Movement hereby condemns these unjustifiable acts."
He added that the claim by the army that the sect attempted to assassinate the chief of army staff was a blatant lie as the army came back to launch their attack more than an hour after General Buratai had passed. According to the sect, the Nigerian government through its military is now on rampage, in an all out war with the Islamic movement, its members and structures.
While the Islamic Movement said it was unaware of the whereabouts of its leader, the Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai, has said he knows where Sheikh Zakzaky is. Governor El-Rufai, who has appealed for calm, said he visited Zaria where he met with General Buratai and spoke to Sheikh Zakzaky.
Among those also killed were Sheikh Zakzaky’s deputy Muhammad Turi, who is normally based in Kano. Nigerian Army spokesman, Colonel Sani Usman, however, insists that the sect tried to assassinate General Buratai on Saturday, adding that soldiers were forced to shoot in defence when sect members refused to move out of the convoy’s way and became violent.
Sheikh Zakzaky’s followers are generally viewed as peaceful but a similar altercation between the sect and the army occurred last year during a procession when about 30 followers and three of his children were killed. At the end of November, a suicide bomber killed at least 21 members of the Shi’ite group during its annual procession from Kano to Zaria to pay homage to Sheikh Zakzaky but Boko Haram later claimed responsibility for the attack.
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