Ibrahim Zakzaky

By Najeeb Maigatari

It is now almost eight months since Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife, Zeenah Ibraheem, were discharged and acquitted by a Kaduna High Court of all the criminal charges levelled against them after spending almost six years in illegal detention. 

One would have thought that it would be a matter of days or a couple of months at most for the duo to jet out of the country to attend to their health that deteriorated during their stay in detention. 

When passing its judgment, the Kaduna High Court made it categorically clear that the couple were not only innocent and thus discharged and acquitted, but are also entitled to freedom like every other citizen as enshrined in the constitution of the country, including among others, the right to attend to their health in any place of their choice. 

But the Nigerian government, in a show of contempt to a court of competent jurisdiction, continued its systemic persecution of the ailing couple by withholding their travel documents to frustrate their quest for proper medical attention. 

The NIA, NIS, and DSS initially denied withholding the couple’s travel documents but later admitted they were lost. The office of the AGF went as far as claiming that the couple were not suffering from any life-threatening condition that warrants overseas treatment. When and how did the AGF become a diagnostician capable of tracing what ailments should be attended to in the country? 

It is worth noting that Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife are still suffering from various life-threatening health problems, as evidenced by a series of investigations results undertaken after their release from detention- at both public and private health facilities. 

The Sheikh’s lead and cadmium poisoning is the greatest concern, which is yet to be addressed, notwithstanding the dangerous serum level. The story is no different for his wife, Zeenah, who has been a wheelchair user for almost six years now. 

The couple has suffered enough. As a moral obligation, people of conscience, clergies and statesmen are pleased urged to demand that government allows the Sheikh and his wife to attend to their health. As the saying goes, injustice to one is an injustice to all. 

Najeeb Maigatari, Jigawa State, and can be reached via maigatari313@gmail.com.

By Najeeb Maigatari

It has been six years since the inhuman massacre of unarmed citizens in Zaria perpetrated by the Nigerian army under the guise of “alleged road blockade” to the then COAS, Tukur Buratai.

According to activists, civil organizations and analysts, the massacre is among the “notable human rights violation since the return to democracy” in Nigeria.

While the Nigerian army claimed that their personnel acted within laws of engagement, a finding by the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the attack established by Kaduna State government in 2016 remarks, “The Nigerian army exerted disproportionate and excessive force against unarmed, defenceless civilians”.

The Commission further indicted top army officials for their role in the heinous crime and recommended that they be brought a book. Unfortunately, not one of them has been brought to justice to date, while the victims of the massacre and their grieving families still immeasurably suffer in silence.

In his testimony before the Judicial Commission of Inquiry, the then Secretary to Kaduna State Government noted that at least 347 people were killed and buried in mass graves. On its side, the Islamic Movement in Nigeria compiled a list of over 700 people missing since the incident.

During the attack, men, women, children and the elderly were mercilessly killed without regard for stipulated laws against such crime. For instance, the leader of the Islamic Movement, Sheikh Zakzaky (H), witnessed how his three sons, including a fifteen-year-old Humaid, were gunned down before his eyes.

The breadwinners of several families were killed, thus turning their wives into widows and children orphans. Some families were wiped out completely. For example, Dr. Bukari Jega, a lecturer at the University of Abuja, was killed alongside his wife and only daughter- a 6 months old Batoul; and several other families too numerous to mention.

Moreover, several hundred individuals were fatally shot at very close range during the attack, as a result of which some of them have become disabled, and others are still living with life-threatening injuries of great concern.

The release of the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria and his wife from captivity after spending almost six years in illegal detention is commendable. It signifies a step forward to ensuring justice to the victims of the Zaria Massacre. We, therefore, hope that the President will live up to his words and ensure justice is also served to other families who have lost their loved ones in the incident.

There is no democracy without justice: irrespective of gender, tribe or religious inclination, it’s the pillar to peaceful coexistence in a society. The Zaria Massacre is amongst the recorded crimes against humanity in our time, and we, therefore, six years on, still demand justice for the victims and their families.

Maigatari writes from Jigawa State and could be reached via maigatari313@gmail.com.