Nigerian Army Lied, They Killed In Thousands -Islamic Group

The secretary, Media forum of the Islamic
Movement of Nigeria (IMN), Mr. Abdulmumin
Giwa, today, December 16, claimed that the
Nigerian soldiers killed thousands of its
members during the recent clash between the
movement and the Nigerian military.
Mr. Giwa made this declaration at a press
briefing in Abuja to shed more light on what
has been described in many quarters as a
gross violation of human rights by the
Nigerian military.
The secretary of the forum for the Islamic
movement said there was no threat posed to
the life of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt
Gen Tukur Yusuf Buratai by its members as
being alleged by the Nigerian army.
Recounting what transpired on the day of the
killings, Mr Giwa said the COAS had already
passed only for soldiers to appear few
minutes later with arms and artillery.
“On that same day there was to be a Passing
out Parade (POP) at Zaria for recruits or so.
And the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) was
coming from the palace of the Emir to that
place. There were other routes he could have
taken but for one reason or the other they
decided to follow that route despite the fact
that an event was going to take place that
will attract a lot of people.
“What usually happened is that there are
people who actually help in managing traffic,
preparing parking spaces for people and
arranging people in queues to be searched
before they enter for security purposes and
things like that. That is what the movement
is aware of. To say that the COAS was
stopped in that area despite the military
presence……everyone should be surprised that
he was blocked.
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Value Nigerian Lives
“Somehow he passed and went to the event
he was going for. But not up to an hour later
the military started coming with their arms
and artillery to the point stationing
themselves around. You know some of them
were even questioned as to what is there and
what is happening. They said they are having
a POP and they have to ensure security
around. So when they took positions and did
everything they just started opening fire and
at that point in time there were people who
had arrived for the event. A lot of people
were killed and in fact in that Husainiyya
center if I say not less than 300 hundred
people are killed it is not an exaggeration,”
Giwa said.
He also spoke on how the military went
about killing members of the movement in
other parts of the town especially in Gelesu,
the house of the leader of the movement and
Darur Rahma, where the movement bury their
loved ones.
He accused the military of mutilating the
bodies of those killed and also instigating
mobs to steal from them.
“There are three incidents here, first is the
passage of the COAS and secondly the
subsequent attack on the Husainiyya by
soldiers and then thirdly the attack on the
house of the leader of the movement at
Gelesu.
“The people are loyalists. So they came there
to protect their leader and prevent him from
been killed as his life has always been in
danger. They were standing there harmlessly
while the military was there with its guns and
artillery. They shot at people sporadically for
up to 27 hours. And in that place (Gelesu)
the number of people that were killed is four
times the number of people that was killed at
Husainiyya center.
“There were check points mounted on the
road to protect the leader of the movement
and when the army got there they started
shooting. Many people were killed. You need
to see how bloody the place was. Bodies
were mutilated and they even instigated
mobs to start stealing things from the
corpses. They gathered the dead bodies
together. There are videos.
“And apart from that of Gelesu there is still
the burial ground, Darur Rahman along Zaria-
Jos road where members of the movement
used to bury their people. Some people at
the place where also attacked and dispersed
from that place. People were also killed there
and the killings continued for 27 hours,” the
secretary to the media forum of the
movement said.
Mr. Giwa said attempts were made to get to
the hierarchy of security agencies and the
state government to come to their aid but all
were futile.
“Attempts were made to call on the security
and other leaders in the country and state to
stop the killings and shootings and nothing
was done and many lives were lost –women,
children ……innocent children. It is such that
every member of the movement have
someone that has been killed. Even the
spokesperson of the movement, Ibrahim
Usman who is a journalist like you was shot
in cold blood.
“Many people were killed and there are
pictures. The military took a lot of dead
bodies to unknown locations. We call on the
government, we call on those concerned to
look into the situation. There are also
suspicions that there are massive graves
being created around.”
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Earlier in his statement, Mr Giwa noted that
prior to the killings that happened on Sunday,
December 13, ‘there had been attacks on the
members of the movement where 35 people
were killed in cold blood including the three
sons of the leader, Shiek Ibrahim Alzak-zaky.’
He continued: “Nothing took place apart from
the condolences and the leader of the
movement called for calm insisting that he
would follow due process in addressing the
issue.
“Up till now nothing has been done on that so
people were a bit careful and resentful at the
military stationed outside the event venue
and this created a kind of tension.”
Meanwhile, the Boko Haram members today,
killed a Lieutenant-Colonel and other officers
during a fierce battle with the Nigerian army.
Reports has it that the terrorist group
attacked the convoy at a town along Bama/
Konduga axis.