By DOMINIC UZU
Regional Editor, Northwest
MONARCHS and the 19 Northern governors converged in Kaduna to tackle the possible spread of the Shiite crisis to other parts of the North .
In his opening speech, the chairman of the 19 Northern governors Forum, Governor Kashim Shettima said they did not come to do the work of Kaduna governor but to prevent possible spread of the crisis to other northern states.
“Kaduna is the headquarters of Northern Nigeria. Whatever happens to Kaduna affects the entire North. Don’t forget that Shiite members spread across the North. We don’t want a repeat of Boko Haram, We will do everything possible to avoid another Boko Haram,” he said.
The Northern governors endorsed all the actions taken by the Kaduna state government against the Shiite movement as they frowned on the arbitrary blockage of roads by any individual or group of persons.
Unhappy about breach of public peace by the Shi’ite sect, Kaduna Governor , Malam Nasir El-Rufai weekend also came out strongly to announce that, “Everyone has a fundamental right to their faiths and beliefs, but no one has any right to practice their faith in ways that diminish, distress or inconvenience others.”
The governor who disclosed this in a state broadcast on Thursday announced that “henceforth, no person or group, under any guise will be allowed to block any road, obstruct public highways, occupy public facilities or inconvenience citizens in Kaduna State.
Though he said anybody that needs to march may do so, they cannot take over public facilities or disrupt social services and commercial activities in Kaduna State and any march or procession can be undertaken only with the prior knowledge of, and protection of the police to prevent the breakdown of law and order.
Meanwhile El-Rufai revealed that a judicial commission of inquiry would be established to look into the recent security incidents in Zaria with a composition and terms of reference of the commission of inquiry to be announced within two weeks.
He assured the people of the state that the government is committed to securing the state and upholding the rights of every citizen.
Meanwhile the Northern Monarchs and the 19 Northern governors converged in Kaduna on a separate days last week to tackle the possible spread of the Shiit crisis in other northern state.
Meanwhile, December 12, 2015 will ever remain a black Saturday in the minds of Zaria residents as that was the day the relative peace enjoyed in that city and by extension Kaduna State was truncated by clashes between members of the Zaria based Shi’ite sect and soldiers along Sokoto Road , Zaria , Kaduna over alleged ttempted attack on Chief of Army Staff’s convoy in Zaria , Kaduna , Northwest Nigeria.
National Daily gathered that soldiers took a sweep on the Shi’ite member because they failed to respect the person of the Chief of Army Staff , Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, whose convoy or guards neither provoked them on the fateful Saturday or shot at them even when they created the room to do so.
When our Correspondent visited Zaria on Thursday , December 17 for situation report after relative calm returned to the area , it was confirmed that trouble started that between 1.30pm and 2pm , when the sect members in thousands blocked convoy of the Chief of Army Staff who left the Zazzau Emir’s House after paying a courtesy call on the emir and headed to the army depot , Zaria to attend the Passing Out Parade of newly recruited soldiers.
Army source disclosed that when it appeared the unprovoked angry Shi’ite members are insisting the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai must take another road instead of Sokoto Road to the parade ground , the Army Spokesman , Colonel SK Usman begged the members to give way for the convoy of Chief of Army Staff who at that time was already late for passing out ceremony of new army recruits.
At a point General Buratai had to come down of his Toyota Land cruiser SUV to personally plead with the sect members , but they still refused him passage. The argument on whether to allow Buratai’s convoy pass or not continued for about ten minutes before it was later resolved that he could move and proceed to the depot.
But action of Shi’ite provoked the soldiers on the Buratai’s convoy who called for reinforcement to deal with sect members . And while the sect members had resigned to Hussainiyya , the venue of the Islamic Centre for the annual hoisting of flag to mourn the death of Imam Hussain , one of the children of Prophet Mohammed. After about two hours later , heavily armed soldiers in hundreds moved to Sokoto Road, where the Shiite Islamic centre was located and opened fire on them.
According to a member , Abdulmumuni Giwa, more than 300 members of the sect that converged on Zaria from Kano, Sokoto ,Zamfara ,Katsina , Jigawa and other parts of the North were shot dead on the Saturday , in an operation that lasted between 4pm and 7pm.
He informed that the killing didn’t stop at Sokoto Road alone , another group of armed to teeth soldiers surrounded Shiekh El-Zakzaky’s Gyellesu , residence at Zaria . All effort to repel the soldiers by the large number of the sect failed. The soldiers eventually gained entrance into El-Zakzaky’s compound where over 600 persons were killed and many injured in an operation that commenced from 9pm to 4am on Sunday.
As at Saturday no official figure of causality has been released either by the red cross , state government , army or police , but information stated that over 900 persons were killed ,including the Deputy leader Mahmmud Turi and a good number of unarmed women and children .
It was also learnt that the leader of Shi’ite sect , Shiekh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky was not spared in the provoked operation as he was shot severally by soldiers that laid siege around his Gyellesu residence , Zaria when he attempted to escape , but was treated and arrested before the soldiers moved him to Kaduna Army First Mechanised Division Headquarters .The wife too didn’t escape the wrath of soldiers , she was severely beaten and arrested along side her husband.
While El-Zakzaky and wife were lucky to be alive, spokesman of the sect , Ibrahim Usman was unlucky. He was killed by soldiers during the Saturday / Sunday morning operation that lasted for more than 7 hours at Gyellesu, Zaria .
However, President of the Islamic Movement Media Forum , Ibrahim Musa who took over as spokesman ,in a chat with our correspondent accused the army of killing innocent Shiite members under guise of ,” Army Rule of Engagement”.
The new spokesman agreed that Shi’ite members blocked the Chief of Army Staff’s convoy , but condemned what he termed ” Heartless killing” of innocent souls .However, he said that if there were no ulterior motive from side of the soldiers and preplanned ploy to wipe out Shi’ite sect from Zaria , there was no reason for Buratai’s convoy in the first place to pass through Sokoto Road, when there are alternative routes to follow.
He argued; “Chief of Army Staff is a Muslim. He cannot claim to be ignorant that on days such as Saturday, December 12 that Shi’ite sect members converge on Zaria to commemorate the death of our respected Imams and roads to the Islamic centre would be blocked, since it is a routine event”.
According to him , last year the same soldiers killed several Shi’ite members during celebration of the Quds day, even when the Shiite member didn’t either attack or killed any soldier .
“I remembered last year when similar thing happened, we only told the soldiers that it is our rule not to allow anyone break procession, but out of anger such as this one, they mobilised and killed over 30 members including three children of El-Zakzaky and now they have repeated same.” Musa said.
Meanwhile , Kaduna and Zaria town have been tensed after the killings of the Shiite members and suspicion that the sect leader Shiekh El-Zakzaky might not survive the gunshot wounds.
It was against this background that on Tuesday , a massive crowd of the Shi’ites across 19 northern States stormed Kaduna town to demand release of their leader and protest the killing of the members. Although the protest was peaceful, traders, workers and other members of the public that saw the crowd , closed shops , abandoned their places of work and scampered for safety. It took a combined group of security men to disperse the intimidating crowd that stirred up fears and tension in Kaduna .
But while rumour was making the rounds that El-Zakzaky might have died since no news about his whereabout 24 hour after the army operation in Zaria, the General Officer Commanding , GOC ,One Mechanised Division , Kaduna , Major General Adeniyi Oyebade at press conference confirmed that El-Zakzaky and wife were safe and in protective custody in a very secured facility.
He emphasized that as the GOC of One Division, if the life of the COAS is under threat , within the rules of engagement permissible by law, he was left with no option than to make soldiers available to bring the situation under control with the consent of the police considering that the fact that they were operating in a city.
While the Shi’ite members claimed they didn’t breach public peace or attack any soldier, Oyebade said the army cant fold its arms and watch Shi’ite members in their thousands mobilized and attacked security forces across Zaria after the afternoon operation at the Hussainiyya Islamic Centre along Sokoto Road, Zaria on Saturday, December 12.
Major General Oyebade disclosed that within the rules of engagement, the force became necessary to contain possible state of lawlessness .In doing so , he said quite a number of soldiers were also casualties in what he described as “Dastardly act” by the sect members.
“And because of the report we had that they were mobilizing at their three key strong points including the big temple called the Hussaniyya, the area occupied by the sect leader in Gellesu and another temple somewhere on Danbo road, I decided that I had to bring the situation under control .” the GOC said.